The pretrial proceedings in the Pradaxa MDL are currently under the supervision of Judge David R. Herndon, and he recently urged both parties involved to begin negotiations in an attempt to reach a settlement. The first bellwether trial is slated to begin in August 2014 and all lawsuits are consolidated in the MDL. Unlike a class action lawsuit though, each lawsuit in the MDL will remain separate and be decided individually. Per Judge Herndon’s instructions, both parties’ attorneys must be appointed no later than July 1, 2013 and will attempt to reach a settlement prior to August 2014 when the first Pradaxa bellwether case is scheduled to go to trial.

Pradaxa’s Dangers

When Pradaxa was initially approved by the FDA in 2010, it was intended to lower the risk of strokes by preventing the formation of dangerous blood clots. As an anticoagulant, this drug thins the blood, similar to Coumadin and Heparin. Yet immediately after its release, doctors and patients realized its extreme dangers. Uncontrolled bleeding in a patient taking Coumadin can be reversed with Vitamin K; Pradaxa has no known antidote. This increased the chances of a patient bleeding internally and/or hemorrhaging to death. Patients who took Pradaxa reported numerous adverse effects, including:

 

• Internal bleeding
• Intestinal hemorrhaging
• Irreversible bleeding complications
• Heart attacks
• Death

Pradaxa Maker Boasts Enormous Profits While Drug Kills

Thousands of patients who were injured by Pradaxa have already begun to file lawsuits against the pharmaceutical giant Boehringer Ingelheim whose sales topped $1 billion while promoting Pradaxa in 2011. Yet even as the company boasted these profits, their drug Pradaxa led all other medication in the number of deaths reported to the FDA and killed 542 people that very year. In addition, another 3,781 people reported adverse effects.

 

Pradaxa Lawsuit Lawyers You Can Rely On

At Phillips Law Firm, we believe in holding pharmaceutical companies responsible for the injuries their dangerous drugs cause. These companies routinely put their profits before the safety of the American public. If you have suffered and injury after taking the dangerous drug, Pradaxa, the defective drug lawyers at Phillips Law Firm can help. We represent patients and victims across the United States that are seeking compensation after being injured by a defective drug, and we are dedicated to protecting their rights. Call Phillips Law Firm today at 1-800-708-6000. We can help you file a lawsuit against these giant pharmaceutical companies and take part in the multi-district litigation that is currently underway. Call us today to discuss all of your legal options.

Even as Fresenius Medical Care continues to deny the danger of their dialysis drug Granuflo, lawsuits continue to rise. On January 14, 2013, a Texas woman filed a lawsuit against the medical manufacturer alleging that they were responsible for her husband’s death in 2011. This is just one of the many cases that have been filed across the country after the March 2012 recall of Granuflo and Naturalyte.

Emma Hernandez of Lubbock, Texas lost her husband Santos two days after he received dialysis treatment and the dangerous drug Granuflo. Santos went to his routine dialysis treatment on January 15, 2011 and returned home feeling weak and experiencing tremendous difficulty walking. Two days after the treatment, Santos clutched his chest and died of a massive heart attack before emergency services were able to reach the house. Emma and her counsel claim that the dangerous dialysis drug Granuflo was to blame for his death and seek punitive damages.

Granuflo and the Fresenius Cover-up

Claims that Fresenius Medical Care knew how dangerous their dialysis drug Granuflo was have begun to surface and have prompted numerous lawsuits across the country. Plaintiffs assert that Fresenius knew of these dangers and these risks as early as 2003, but failed to warn the general public. In fact, internal memos point to the fact that Fresenius knew of these dangers and told their own doctors and clinics in 2011, but not the thousands of other providers who used their products. In March 2012, a Class I recall of Granuflo was implemented; Class I recalls are the most serious level of recalls.

 

National Granufo Lawsuit Lawyers

Now Fresenius Medical Care faces multi-district litigation regarding thousands of deaths, like Santos Hernandez. If you or someone you love has experienced cardiac arrest as a result of taking GranuFlo or NaturaLyte during dialysis, it is imperative that you contact an experienced Granuflo lawsuit attorney. The Granuflo litigaton lawyers at Phillips Law Firm can review your case and determine if you may be eligible to take part in the multidistrict litigation against Fresenius Medical Care.

To learn more about filing a GranuFlo or dialysis lawsuit call the Granuflo lawsuit lawyers at Phillips Law Firm today at 1-800-708-6000. Our Granuflo lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The American Association for Justice ranked State Farm insurance company as the 4th worst insurance company in America, based on their history of denying, delaying, and fighting valid claims. In addition, State Farm pays their clients less than the full value on claims and often offers their policyholders low-ball settlements that inadequately cover their injuries. When CNN did an 18-month investigation into State Farm’s delay and deny tactics, they found that State Farm often used a harsh “take it or leave it” approach to accident victims—especially those with less serious injuries, such as whiplash or soft tissue injuries.

“Like a good neighbor” may be their slogan, but investigations have proven otherwise. State Farm, like many insurance companies, is in business to make a profit and have perfected their policy of minimizing payouts on accident claims. This is particularly distressing for injured State Farm clients who need money to pay for medical bills, rehabilitation, and lost wages. Delaying on claims and offering injured victims low settlements is the way they maximize their profits, and they often rely on the inexperience of Seattle accident victims to accomplish this.

Ways to Beat the Insurance Companies and Maximize your Payout

There are ways to ensure that you are adequately compensated after a Seattle car accident. The main way is to avoid speaking with insurance company representatives until you have spoken to an experienced Seattle personal injury attorney. Insurance company adjusters are trained to ask questions that trick policyholders into admitting fault. An experienced Seattle personal injury attorney can ensure that you do not fall victim to these tricks.

Accident victims who obtain legal representation are usually offered a much higher settlement than those victims without an attorney on their side. As such it is critical that you speak to an experienced Seattle personal injury attorney immediately following your car accident.

At Phillips Law Firm, our Seattle car accident lawyers know how to handle insurance company representatives and we will obtain the maximum compensation for your injuries. If you have been injured in a car accident in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma, or throughout the State of Washington, call us today for a free case evaluation at 1-800-708-6000. At Phillips Law Firm, we spend one-on-one time with our clients throughout the entire legal process. You will never be just a case number to us, and we work diligently to accomplish incredible results for all of our clients. We represent real people with real problems and our door is always open 24/7.

In October 2012, damaging testimony in front of US Senate Investigators painted a dismal picture of the medical device industry and put Medtronic once again on the hot seat. It was alleged that Medtronic paid doctors millions of dollars in exchange for co-authoring papers on their Infuse products. These papers would intentionally downplay some of the serious and life-threatening risks associated with their Infuse bone graft products. Even worse, testimony given during the Senate hearing showed that the doctor who presented Infuse to an FDA advisory panel shortly before it was approved was actually paid by Medtronic as a consultant. According to the testimony, more than 13 doctors were paid over $210 million to craft papers in support of Infuse. These documents have been disclaimed as containing bias and marketing slants.

Promoting Medtronic’s Infuse for Off-Label Use

Originally, Medtronic’s Infuse was approved in 2002 for use in the lumbar spine only, but it is alleged that Medtronic actually promoted and encouraged the off-label use of Infuse in the cervical spinal as well. It is even alleged that Medtronic representatives were present during these off-label surgeries, encouraging doctors and surgeons to continue off-label use of Infuse bone grafts.

The Medtronic Infuse bone graft was used in more than 25% of the 432,000 spinal fusions that were performed in the United States. Many of those uses were unfortunately off-label and patients have suffered horrific injuries as a result. Patients who received a Medtronic Infuse bone graft in the cervical spine have reported numerous medical complications and life-threatening symptoms, including:

• Difficulty breathing
• Trouble swallowing
• Difficulty speaking
• Compression of the airway
• Respiratory depression
• Nerve damage
• Broken cervical bones
• Excessive bone growth in the neck
• Radiating pain
• Sterility, retrograde ejaculation, or other urogenital injuries
• Acute swelling
• Permanent nerve damage
• Death

One such patient from South Carolina received an off-label Infuse bone graft to repair three compressed discs in her cervical spine. After the surgery, everything started to go wrong. She began experiencing severe migraines every day, pain in her right arm, neck stiffness and pain, and back complications. She couldn’t even lift her arm anymore and when doctors took x-rays, it appeared that she had several broken bones in her neck from the Infuse bone graft and excessive bone growth. She now faces daily pain and additional surgeries to help repair the complications.

National Medtronic Lawsuit Attorneys

If you or someone you love has suffered a major complication because of a Medtronic medical device, it is important to know that you are not alone. To learn more about filing a Medtronic lawsuit call the experienced Medtronic lawsuit lawyers at Phillips Law Firm today. Call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our national Medtronic lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation.

New research published in the journal, Annals of Neurology, suggests that MRIs may actually be better at detecting mild traumatic brain injuries. Until now, CT scans were thought to be the “gold standard” when it came to detecting brain injuries and have been the preferred technique for diagnosing and evaluating these types of injuries in the emergency room. Yet a recent clinical trial led by researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) found that CT scans may actually be better at detecting focal lesions on the brain, which are signs of microscopic bleeding.

This finding is significant because focal lesions actually help doctor determine whether the patient is likely to suffer from persistent neurological problems. Currently about 15% of individuals with mild traumatic brain injuries experience some form of long-term neurological complications. These findings suggest that obtaining an MRI following an accident or injury could alert physicians to potential problems that a CT scan would’ve otherwise missed.

Even Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries Can Have Long-Term Effects

Every year approximately 1.7 million Americans acquire a head injury of some kind and 75% of these injuries are considered mild traumatic brain injuries. While mild traumatic brain injuries have milder symptoms, such as vomiting, loss of consciousness, and confusion, they can have long-term neurological consequences. Even more frightening is that the incidents of mild traumatic brain injuries is projected to be much higher—up to 6x higher—because many individuals with a mild traumatic brain injury or concussion never seek medical attention. Of those individuals who see medical help for their concussions, 1 in 6 ends up with some type of persistent and sometimes permanent disability.

Seek Medical Attention Immediately for Your Injuries

After a minor accident, many accident victims mistakenly believe that they are uninjured and unharmed. This is unfortunately not usually the case and the extent of a traumatic brain injury can sometimes take days and even weeks to be fully recognized. During this time accident victims often reach quick settlements with their insurance companies—only to find that they have long-term medical needs that are now not covered.

Before you speak with anyone from an insurance company, it is important to seek medical attention immediately for your injuries. If you believe that you have hit your head, physicians should perform a CT scan, as well as a MRI to rule out the possibility of a traumatic brain injury.