Lawsuit Update Center

Several studies have found an association between cow’s milk-based infant formulas and necrotizing enterocolitis. As a result, plaintiffs have filed NEC infant formula lawsuits against Mead Johnson and Abbott Laboratories, the manufacturers of Enfamil and Similac, respectively. They allege that these formulas cause necrotizing enterocolitis.

This is what you need to know about infant formulas, necrotizing enterocolitis, the studies on the relationship between the two, and the recently filed baby formula lawsuits.

Infant formula types

Over the last 5 years, the size and scale of mass torts in MDLs (Multidistrict Litigation) has unprecedented levels. With over 250,000 claims, the 3M Earplugs MDL is now the single largest consolidated mass tort ever. Meanwhile, the Zantac MDL has grown to include over 140,000 claims.

Each of these massive MDLs is being overseen and managed by a single federal judge. This monumental feat of judicial administration has been made possible through the application of innovative new technologies and new judicial procedures such as electronic claims registries and administrative dockets.

Claim Registries and Administrative Dockets in Large MDLs

This week the MDL Judge in the Paragard IUD lawsuits will consider a motion to dismiss filed by the manufacturers of the defective birth control device. The Paragard MDL has grown to include over 500 individual cases by plaintiffs alleging that their Paragard IUD fractured during removal resulting in severe pain and sometimes emergency surgery to remove the broken pieces inside their uterus.

About the Paragard Lawsuits

The Paragard is an intrauterine device (IUD) used for birth control. It is a small plastic device shaped like a Y with a copper coil around the center. The device is inserted at the base of the uterus where is provides continuous protection against pregnancy for up to 10 years. The Paragard was designed to be easily removed at the doctor’s office.

Hundreds of farmers and agriculture workers have filed paraquat lawsuits alleging that their exposure to paraquat caused them to develop Parkinson’s disease. Back in June, a new Paraquat MDL was created and it already has around 200 pending cases. Last week, the MDL judge ordered all incoming plaintiffs to complete a Plaintiff’s Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ).

In this post, we will take a close look at the PAQ because it is essentially an outline of the key issues that will shape the paraquat litigation moving forward. It also gives prospective plaintiffs an idea of what type of facts they will need to support their case.

About the Paraquat Lawsuits

Our DreamStation CPAP recall lawyers are currently seeking new cases from individuals who used one of the recalled DreamStation devices and suffered health consequences related to the inhalation of chemicals from the device.

If you used a Philips DreamStation, DreamStation Go, or another recalled CPAP machine for 6 months or longer and have suffered cancer or other negative health consequences, you may be entitled to compensation.

What led to this recall and DreamStation lawsuits? A few weeks ago, Philips Respironics announced it was recalling all of its popular DreamStation sleep apnea machines because they may cause users to unknowingly inhale toxic, potentially carcinogenic chemicals

In the past two years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Pfizer have made several announcements on the drug Xeljanz. None of them have been good.

The FDA has reported on Xeljanz’s association with pulmonary embolisms, severe heart issues, cancer, and death. This comes nine years after the FDA approved it to treat psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. Former Xeljanz patients have begun to file lawsuits against Pfizer. These Xelijanz lawsuits allege that the drug caused them to suffer severe side effects.

Xeljanz

In recent years, studies have found an association between paraquat, an herbicide, with several adverse health effects.  Most notably, the concern is Parkinson’s disease.  An Illinois man filed a new suit in state court alleging that his decades of paraquat exposure caused him to develop Parkinson’s.  There are many more Paraquet lawsuits expected in 2021.  Let’s unpack what these cases are about.

Paraquat is toxic

Paraquat is an extremely toxic herbicide.  Nobody is really arguing this point. The herbicide is primarily used for controlling weeds and grasses. It is manufactured by agribusiness giant Syngenta.

Breast augmentation is the most prevalent cosmetic procedure in the United States, with estimates ranging that 1 to 3 million women have some type of breast implant. For years, there has been developing research about the possibility of implants increase the risk of certain cancers, but the evidence was considered too slim to create any action towards addressing the problem.

Now, the FDA has finally issued a safety warning about the risks of using breast implants manufactured by the company Allergan. The warning requested Allergan to recall all of their micro-textured implants in the United States, citing new sufficient evidence showing a link between their products and breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). This recall will most likely cause a significant increase in breast implant cancer lawsuits, including class action lawsuits for medical monitoring.

The warning is not without precedent, as there have been similar recalls for Allergan breast implants in Canada, Australia, and France within the past year. However, the FDA was hesitant to issue on their own recall due to “insufficient evidence” that indicated a connection between textured implants and the rare lymphoma cancer. Despite this, hundreds of women around the country have been taking Allergan to court based on claims that their breast implants were the cause of their illness.

A November 2018 article in the BMJ reported a study concluding what many lawyers have known for a long time: patients who use sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are twice at risk of having lower limb amputations than other diabetes medications. The scientists also reported that SGLT2 inhibitors are also linked to diabetic ketoacidosis.

What Are SGLT2 Inhibitors?

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are medications that lower blood sugar in adults who have type 2 diabetes. They are used to complement diet and exercise. SGLT2 inhibitors may be available as a single-ingredient product or combined with other diabetic medications including metformin. They reduce the amount of glucose being absorbed by the body through the kidneys. This helps to reduce blood sugar by removing excess glucose through urine.