Lawsuit Update Center

Nexium, or esomeprazole, is a drug that is used to treat heartburn and excessive amounts of acid in the stomach. Specifically, it is used to treat duodenal and gastric ulcers, esophagitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Nexium is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) that decreases the amount of acid produced in the stomach. Other drugs that are in the same class as Nexium include Prevacid and Prilosec. Approximately 15 million Americans use PPIs that are sold both as prescription and over-the-counter. Nexium sales exceed $3 billion a year.

Nexium Class Action Lawsuit Updates 

March 2023: The bellwether trial in the Nexium PPI litigation that was supposed to get started this month has now been postponed to June 5, 2023. Two additional bellwether trials will follow in July and September. No explanation for the postponement was given, but many believe that was done because the parties are close to a settlement. 

August 2022:  Defendants in the PPI MDL had moved to dismiss all failure to warn claims in the PPI class action lawsuit because they are preempted. The argument, and it is a weak one, is that because the FDA (a federal agency) approved the warning labels, state law claims cannot be brought. 

Our lawyers talked about this in the last update in June – this motion is crucial because the crux of this class action lawsuit is that you knew of this problem with kidney injuries yet you did not change their product, instructions, guidelines, or, most importantly, warn doctors of the risk. 

The Special Master in the MDL likely put this issue to bed in the Prilosec-Nexium class action lawsuit. issued a report to the MDL Judge recommending that this argument be rejected because the defendants cannot show that the FDA would have rejected proposals for stronger warnings about kidney damage. The first bellwether trial in the MDL is set for November.

June 2022: The defendants in the Nexium-Prilosec PPI class action MDL have filed motions for summary judgment in the upcoming bellwether test trials. The primary legal argument in this motion is based on a doctrine called federal preemption. The preemption doctrine holds that victims are blocked from bring tort lawsuits under state law if there is a federal law that protects the defendants from liability. The Special Master in the MDL recently allowed both parties to submit additional briefing to address how a recently decided case on the preemption issue (In re Fosamax Alendronate Prod. Liab. Lit.) could potentially impact the issues in the Nexium-Prilosec cases. Our lawyers have read the Fosamax case (which rules in favor of defendants on a preemption argument) and in our opinion it is not applicable to the issues in the PPI cases.

April 2022: There are around 13,500 lawsuits pending in the Nexium-Prilosec PPI class action MDL.  The first trial will be in October.  The hope is that a few trials will set settlement amounts for Nexium kidney lawsuits. But many class action lawsuits – at least lately – have had trials and the parties still could not agree to a settlement amount for the victims.  So the judge, in this case, wants to keep the pressure on the lawyers.  So if a global settlement is not reached, the MDL Judge has identified a group of 200 cases that the parties will be preparing for trial over the next 16 months.

• These drugs have had a troubled history.  Zantac, which was long considered a great and safe drug, has now been associated with cancer.

Problems with Nexium

Nexium is a controversial drug.  At one point, bone fracture lawsuits were all the rage because there was data suggesting Nexium, particularly the long-term use of Nexium, would cause bone fractures and breaks.  Our lawyers believed many of these lawsuits were meritorious.  But the litigation did not get very far.

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The Gardasil HPV vaccine was developed by Merck & Co. and pushed onto the market in 2006. Since then, the Gardasil vaccine has been administered to millions of adolescent girls in the U.S. Recent research has established that the Gardasil HPV vaccine can induce a host of autoimmune disorders including Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Orthostatic Intolerance (OI), and many other conditions. These women are now bringing Gardasil vaccine lawsuits against Merck.

February 2023 Gardasil Lawsuit News

This week, Merck filed a motion seeking dismissal of all Gardasil claims based on design defect theories. Design defect claims against vaccine manufacturers are barred under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. If granted, the relief sought in this motion would significantly narrow the scope of the claims in the Gardasil MDL.

On July 13, 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled Valsartan because they contain the contaminant N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). The FDA noted that Valsartan products pose an unnecessary risk to patients.

Before we get to the 8 things you need to know, let’s get the latest Valsartan lawsuit update for February 2023.

February 2023 Valsartan Lawsuit Update

Super Poligrip, an adhesive denture cream produced by GSK Consumer Healthcare, has been the subject of multiple lawsuits in the past. These lawsuits were brought by individuals who claimed that prolonged use of the product resulted in adverse health effects, including nerve damage and iron deficiency anemia.  This post will look back no these very successful lawsuits.  To be clear, we are not taking these lawsuits in 2023. But there is a strong interest in how previous successful MDLs have played out so we are providing this information here.  Some of this – most of this – is fresh content but some was pulled for 15 years ago.

Denture Cream Lawsuits

The history of denture cream lawsuits dates back to the late 2000s, when individuals who had used denture creams, including Super Poligrip, for an extended period of time began to experience adverse health effects, including nerve damage and iron-deficiency anemia. This prompted a number of class action lawsuits to be filed against the manufacturers of denture creams, including GSK Consumer Healthcare, the maker of Super Poligrip.

In these lawsuits, plaintiffs claimed that the zinc in the creams caused nerve damage and anemia due to excessive zinc absorption. The lawsuits further alleged that the manufacturers failed to adequately warn consumers about the potential risks associated with long-term use of the creams.

So GSK has faced a number of class action lawsuits elated to the safety and effectiveness of Super Poligrip and other denture creams. In some cases, plaintiffs claimed that the zinc in the creams caused nerve damage, while in others they claimed that the creams caused anemia due to excessive zinc absorption.

In response to these lawsuits, GSK has issued warnings and changes to the labeling of its denture creams, including Super Poligrip, to advise consumers of the potential risks associated with long-term use and to provide information on proper usage. In addition, GSK has agreed to settle certain lawsuits, including class action lawsuits, brought against the company for a lot of money.

Denture Cream Class Action MDL

The history of the denture cream multidistrict litigation (MDL) refers to a legal proceeding that consolidated multiple individual lawsuits related to the safety and effectiveness of denture creams, including Super Poligrip, into a single case for pre-trial proceedings.

MDLs are often used when there are a large number of lawsuits that involve similar factual and legal issues, such as those related to denture creams. The purpose of an MDL is to streamline the litigation process and avoid duplicative discovery and other pre-trial proceedings.

In the denture cream MDL, the lawsuits were consolidated before a single judge in the Southern District of Florida. The proceedings included evidence and expert testimony related to the potential health risks associated with long-term use of denture creams, including Super Poligrip, and the manufacturers’ warnings and labeling practices.

It’s important to note that the MDL proceedings did not result in a final resolution of the individual lawsuits. Rather, the MDL was used to efficiently manage the pre-trial proceedings, with the individual lawsuits being returned to their original venues for trial or settlement.

Warning Change

The manufacturers of Super Poligrip, the zinc-containing denture adhesive that can cause numbness, decrease in strength, tingling, balance problems, and other issues, have updated its product with a new warning.

Now, consumers are warned that the denture adhesive contains zinc and that they should talk with their doctor if they are taking zinc supplements because of the potential for zinc-toxicity. It also warns that excessive amounts of Poligrip can cause serious health effects.

Finally, diagrams are included detailing proper use, and the labeling informs consumers about how long a tube should last. This is a good step forward. The problem with the adhesive up to now has been that many consumers with ill-fitting dentures use prodigious amounts of adhesive, causing extensive neurological injuries. These warnings may go a long way to prevent further problems.

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Thousands of women who developed mesothelioma or ovarian cancer after extended use of talcum powder products have filed a talcum powder lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson alleging that it knew about the dangers of talc and failed to warn them.

Recently, a jury in Oakland, California awarded 35-year-old Christina Prudencio $26.5 million for pain and suffering, plus another $100,000 in punitive damages in her talcum powder lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson.  There has also been a $2 billion verdict that has made it past the appellate process.

In this post, we will take a brief look at the story behind the talcum powder litigation and discuss the details of the case that resulted in this recent verdict.  First, let’s get you updated on the very latest in the baby powder lawsuits.

Sprue-like enteropathy is an intestinal condition involving chronic diarrhea, nausea, stomach severe stomach discomfort, and rapid weight loss.

Sprue-like enteropathy is a condition that affects the small intestine and can lead to malnutrition, chronic diarrhea, and weight loss. It has been associated with the use of certain drugs, such as the blood pressure medication olmesartan.

Sprue-Like Enteropathy

Chantix is a popular prescription drug that is used to help people quit smoking. In 2021, all .5 and 1 mg tablets of Chantix were recalled after it was discovered that they contained dangerously high levels of a known carcinogen called NDMA. A number of consumer class action lawsuits have since been filed against Pfizer alleging that consumers were defrauded by the company’s failure to warn about NDMA contamination.

About Chantix

Chantix (varenicline) is popular prescription drug used in combination with counseling and other techniques to help people quit smoking. Chantix works by reducing the physical cravings and withdraw that occur when someone with a nicotine addiction attempts to quit smoking.

Clinical studies have conclusively shown that baby formula made from cow’s milk, such as Similac and Enfamil, is dangerous to premature infants because they significantly increase the risk of a dangerous infection called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Over the last year, a growing number of product liability lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers of Similac and Enfamil by parents of premature babies who developed NEC. These NEC formula lawsuits allege that the formula makers knew their products were dangerous to preemies and deliberately failed to warn about the risk of NEC.

In this post, we will look at the current status of the infant formula NEC lawsuits against the manufacturers of Enfamil and Similac. We will look at where these NEC formula lawsuits are being filed, how many are currently pending, who the major players are on both sides (plaintiff and defendant), and other details.

UPDATES:

A new study has revealed that Neptazane, a popular prescription drug used for the treatment of glaucoma, can cause some users to develop a serious and extremely painful skin condition called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. This could potentially lead to some product liability lawsuits by individuals who used Neptazane and developed SJS.

What is Neptazane?

Neptazane (methazolamide) is a prescription drug that is often used to treat specific types of glaucoma and other ophthalmologic abnormalities. Glaucoma is a condition of the eyes that causes visual loss in one or both eyes by damaging the optic nerve. Fluid buildup behind the eye is the most common cause of this condition.

Hundreds of consumers have filed product liability lawsuits against pressure cooker manufacturers in recent years.

Pressure cookers have been a staple in kitchens for generations, providing a quick and convenient way to cook meals. However, in recent years, a number of lawsuits have been filed against pressure cooker manufacturers, alleging that their products are unsafe and can cause serious injuries.

The lawsuits allege that the pressure cookers had a design defect which caused the device to malfunction resulting in severe burns to the user. The following is what you need to know about defective pressure cooker lawsuits.  If you have been injured by a pressure cooker, you may be entitled to compensation.