Archive for the ‘ Drug Injury ’ Category

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10
Jun

Painkillers May Increase Risk of Death in Heart Patients, Says Study

June 10, 2011

A new study of heart disease patients indicates a link between chronic use of painkillers like ibuprofen and naproxen and deadly heart attacks.

Conducted by the University of Florida in Gainesville, the study looked at 22,576 adults with both coronary artery disease and high blood pressure. Researchers determined that heart disease patients who said they chronically used NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) were 66 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack over three years.

NSAIDs include over-the-counter pain meds like Advil, Motrin, and Aleve, as well as prescription arthritis drugs, known as Cox-2 inhibitors, like Celebrex.

Lead researcher Dr. Anthony A. Bavry told Reuters that the study doesn’t conclusively link these painkillers to increased cardiovascular risk, saying, “A limitation is that we did not have information on rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, which may be the reasons a lot of these patients were taking NSAIDs.”

That’s because–on their own–chronic inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis are proven to create increased risk for heart problems.

Those who suffer coronary artery disease should talk to their doctors about how best to manage pain, says Bavry.

Bavry’s study was published in the American Journal of Medicine.

Read more.

Have you or someone you know been involved in a Florida drug injury?

The Florida drug injury lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene may be able to help.

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7
Jun

Controversial Orphan Drugs Approved for Treating Rare Cancers

June 7, 2011

Despite low-quality testing, drugs designed to treat rare cancers—called orphan drugs—are increasingly being made available to patients. On Monday a Florida researcher told Reuters that there are concerns about the safety and efficacy of these drugs because they can come with a high number of serious side effects.

“The scientific validity of these types of studies is very, very limited,” Dr. Thomas J. George, a cancer researcher at the University of Florida, told Reuters Health. “You know less about the safety of the medicine and its quality.”

In a new study researchers looked at evidence evaluated by the FDA from 2004 to 2010 when considering the effectiveness of new cancer medications. The study found that when evaluating orphan drugs—defined as medications which treat diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 Americans—the FDA used a significantly smaller number of people in its studies. Orphan drug trials included 96 patients whereas 290 patients were evaluated in non-orphan drug trials.

“I do think that these studies are a valuable way to provide medication that otherwise wouldn’t be available to patients,” said George. “In the short term it’s a win-win for everybody, but in the long run we have to do due diligence to make sure the drugs are safe.”

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Have you or someone you know been involved in an injury or accident in Florida?

The Florida injury lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene may be able to help.

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6
Jun

Florida Governor Signs Bill Regulating ‘Pill Mills’

June 6, 2011

A bill was signed into law in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday that will help to regulate the state’s prescription “pill mills”—responsible for selling powerful painkillers like oxycodone to out-of-state residents who often go on to illegally resell the pills.

Eighty-five percent of oxycodone pills sold in the U.S. originate in Florida, according to the federal government. The Wall Street Journal reports that “Florida is considered the epicenter of prescription drug abuse, with pain-management clinics supplying drug dealers and addicts with illicit prescription painkillers.”

Florida Governor Rick Scott inked the legislation in Fort Lauderdale, with the aim to penalize doctors who overprescribe pain meds, regulate the way pharmacies are run, and create a prescription drug-monitoring database.

“I am proud to sign this bill which cracks down on the criminal abuse of prescription drugs,” said Scott. “This legislation will save lives in our state and it marks the beginning of the end of Florida’s infamous role as the nation’s Pill Mill Capital.”

Authorities were granted two search warrants in Orlando immediately following passage of the new legislation—one for a doctor who reportedly prescribed more pills last year than the whole state of California.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t hear a story of someone who has lost a family member or friend to prescription drug abuse,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi in a statement. “This legislation will make significant strides in ridding Florida of unscrupulous doctors and pill mills, making our state a safer place to live and raise our families.”

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Have you or someone you know been involved in an injury or accident in Florida?

The Florida injury lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene may be able to help.

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23
May

New Report: More Hospital Deaths on Weekends

May 23, 2011

A recent analysis of 30 million hospital patients has yielded a shocking new fact: A person is 10 percent more likely to die if he’s admitted to the hospital on a weekend rather than a weeknight.

With 2.7 percent of hospital patients dying on the weekend—as opposed to 2.3 percent on a weekday—that adds up to 20 to 25 thousand additional deaths each year, study author Dr. Rocco Ricciardi told Reuters last week.

From Tufts University Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, Ricciardi based his study on a five-year sample of nearly 30 million people in 35 states who checked into hospitals for non-elective reasons.

When analyzing the data, Ricciardi says he ruled out the possibility that more people die on the weekend because they’re more likely to experience trauma then; numbers pertaining to trauma deaths remain steady throughout the seven days of the week.

Instead Ricciardi suggests that hospital personnel may be less trained on the weekend and that there’s less access to imaging and other diagnosis tools.

The study found that certain medical conditions fared worse during a weekend admission. These include pregnancy and female reproductive system problems, blood cell and bone marrow disorders, and circulatory and nervous system problems.

Have you or someone you know been involved in a Florida medical malpractice injury or Florida wrongful death?

If you or someone you know has been injured in a Florida medical malpractice injury or suffered a Florida wrongful death, the Florida medical malpractice lawyers and Florida wrongful death lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene Injury Lawyers may be able to help.

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11
Aug

Yaz® Birth Control Dangers & Side Effects

The Yaz® birth control pill has been on the market since 2006. Yaz is taken orally once daily to prevent pregnancy.

Yaz differs from other birth control methods because it  contains a progestin hormone called drospirenone,  which can increase potassium levels in the bloodstream. Yasmin, a birth  control drug very similar to Yaz, has been on the market since 2001. It  contains the same hormone as Yaz and is associated with the same health  issues.

Read more information about Yaz and it’s dangerous side effects.

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