Pharmaceutical Litigation And Personal Injury Law Blog

How common are deadly truck crashes?

On behalf of Reich & Binstock posted in Truck Accidents on Friday, October 11, 2019.

Data compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation and its affiliated agencies shows that truckers, on average, have viewer accidents per 100 million miles driven by any type of motorist. Even still, the number of deaths that result from these truck-involved crashes is significantly higher than the fatalities that result from any other type of motor vehicle accident.

Statistics published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in 2010 showed that U.S. truckers traveled an estimated 286,585 miles. Of all the truck crashes that occurred that year, 3,413 people were killed. An overwhelming 72% of those who died were motorists driving passenger cars. Another 14% of the fatalities were the truckers themselves. At least 13% of them were pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists.

What are some signs that your medical device is failing you?

On behalf of Reich & Binstock posted in Defective Medical Devices on Friday, September 27, 2019.

Millions of Americans have been fitted with medical devices over the past few decades, including heart defibrillators, artificial joints and surgical mesh. Sadly many of these life-saving products have garnered less attention for how they can save a patient's life and more attention for how they make take it. You should remain vigilant for signs that you have a defective medical implant yourself.

If you're considering a surgical implant, make certain that you discuss all available options for your condition. Its a far safer course of action to take a conservative approach to treatment.

The Food and Drug Administration issues a warning about Zantac

On behalf of Reich & Binstock posted in pharmaceutical injury on Friday, September 13, 2019.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public warning to those who take the over-the-counter heartburn drug Zantac on Sept. 13. They announced that the same carcinogen that identified in prescription blood pressure medications earlier this year was also found in Zantac pills.

In their press release, the FDA outlined how both pills that carry the brand name Zantac and generic ones that don't both were found to have traces of the known carcinogen nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). The former is manufactured by the drug manufacturer Sanofi. The companies that produced the generic version of the over-the-counter drug referenced by the FDA in their statement haven't yet been named.

Acterma can cause serious side effects

On behalf of Reich & Binstock posted in Pharmaceutical Liability on Wednesday, September 11, 2019.

Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience a great deal of pain on a daily basis due to inflammation that wreaks havoc on the body. To lessen the degree of joint pain and joint damage, RA sufferers are prescribed medications that can come with their own pernicious side effects, such as lung disease, stroke, heart failure, and heart attacks. As such, when Actemra hit the market and was touted by its manufacturer to not carry these deadly effects, this drug became a popular choice among doctors and RA sufferers.

Actemra (also known as tocilizumab) is a monoclonal antibody drug developed by Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. First approved by the FDA in 2010, this drug has been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and most recently for giant cell arteritis. Patients can receive their medication either intravenously or by Actemra injection.

What steps should you take if your medication is recalled?

On behalf of Reich & Binstock posted in Defective Drugs on Friday, August 30, 2019.

Many Americans take over-the-counter and prescription medications to make them feel better or keep them alive. While many of them work as they're intended to, others are downright dangerous. Manufacturers and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall countless drugs or medications from the market every year. These recalls often happen after patients experience health declines. There are steps that you should follow if your medication is recalled.

When a recall is issued, you should get out your pill bottle and look at both the original and generic name for the medication. You should also take note of the manufacturer. You'll also want to compare the lot number and any identifying markings on the pills to recall information. Your medication may not be part of the recall unless you find that all of that information lines up.

Don't underestimate the danger of drugged driving

On behalf of Reich & Binstock on Friday, August 30, 2019.

You know that drunk driving is a dangerous and inexcusable type of reckless behavior. Most people are aware of the ways that alcohol can impair a driver and make it more difficult for him or her to operate a vehicle safely. However, many people seriously underestimate the danger of getting behind the wheel after taking certain types of drugs.

When you hear the term drugged driving, you may think of illicit drugs, but other types of legal drugs can cause impairment. Some prescription medications and even over-the-counter sleep aids can make a driver less capable of making smart choices and arriving safely at his or her destination. It's important to take drugged driving seriously and educate drivers about the drugs and medications that could cause them and others harm.

A new app aims to better inform medical device owners of recalls

On behalf of Reich & Binstock posted in Defective Medical Devices on Friday, August 16, 2019.

When a recall gets issued for food, toys, consumer electronics or other consumer items, you'll often hear it announced on the nightly news. Sadly, there isn't the same degree of proactiveness among media outlets in getting the word out about medical device recalls. A smartphone app that has recently been released on the market may make it easier for consumers to become aware of device recalls though.

At least 30 Class I recalls of medical devices have been issued so far this year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These devices are classified as such because they could seriously hurt patients or cause their deaths.

How often do dangerous drugs make it on store shelves?

On behalf of Reich & Binstock posted in pharmaceutical injury on Friday, August 2, 2019.

One of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) responsibilities is to inspect domestic or foreign facilities that manufacture drugs distributed to pharmacies and stores here in this country. This is supposed to keep defective or contaminated drugs from ending up in consumers' hands. The significant amount of warnings, recalls and pharmaceutical injury lawsuits that have been filed in recent years shows that this must not be an effective approach though.

According to Kaiser Health News, there have been more than 8,000 medicines recalled here in the U.S. since 2013.

What's an underride crash and why do they occur?

On behalf of Reich & Binstock posted in Truck Accidents on Friday, July 19, 2019.

If you've ever happened to see underride collision involving a passenger car and a semi-truck, then it's unlikely that you'd forget it. They're one of the scariest types of crashes that you can see out on the road. According to Crash Forensics, at least 25% of fatal truck-involved collisions result from under riding types of incidents. Crashes of this sort can be avoided.

There are two primary types of truck underride crashes. There are rear and side ones. They can occur at any rate of speed. These types of collisions often occur because a trailer or truck isn't very visible as they move from a shoulder into an active traffic lane. They also occur when truckers slow for railroad crossings or when they attempt to get off on an exit on the highway.

ADA Violations in College

On behalf of Reich & Binstock posted in General Legal on Tuesday, July 9, 2019.

The Americans with Disabilities Act has dramatically improved millions of lives since its inception in 1990. One of the most important aspects of this legislation has been protecting young adults' access to college education without being discriminated against based on their disability. In recent years, this fundamental right has fallen by the wayside as universities across the country engage in a recurring pattern of discrimination. Prospective students who face this threat are rightfully fearful as they watch the American dream slip through their fingers.