Articles Tagged with heart attack

Actemra: Can This Arthritis Drug Hurt You?

Published on: February 27, 2018 | By Clay Hodges

You go to the doctor to get help, not to be hurt. And you take medicine to be healed, not to be harmed. However, some prescription drugs, like Actemra, may do the latter – hurt you instead of help you.

If you or a loved one have rheumatoid arthritis, you may have been prescribed or heard of Actemra. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder that causes the joints to swell and become painful. Actemra, also known as tocilizumab, is a prescription drug that is injected weekly or infused monthly to aid patients with their symptoms and slow the progression of RA.

Recently, Actemra has also been prescribed to “help” those with giant cell arteritis. Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a blood vessel disease that causes the vessels, primarily those in the scalp and head, to swell and become inflamed.

Testosterone Litigation: Axiron Settlement Reached; Androgel Jury Award Tossed

Published on: December 27, 2017 | By Clay Hodges

There have been two major developments in testosterone replacement therapy litigation in the past week. Last Thursday Eli Lilly & Co., the maker of the testosterone product Axiron, announced to Judge Matthew Kennelly in Illinois that an agreement had been reached to settle claims by people injured by Axiron testosterone. In the second development, the same judge tossed a jury verdict awarding $150,000,000.00 in punitive damages to a man who suffered a heart attack while taking Androgel testosterone.

Let’s take a quick look at both litigation developments:

Axiron Testosterone Global Settlement

Jury Awards Androgel User and Heart Attack Victim $140 Million

Published on: October 10, 2017 | By Clay Hodges

Last Thursday a jury in Chicago found that AbbVie, Inc., the manufacturers of the testosterone product Androgel, must pay the plaintiff, Jeffrey Konrad, over $140,000,000.00 for injuries he suffered after using the company’s testosterone product. The jury found that AbbVie did not adequately test the testosterone roll-on gel product and misrepresented its safety to patients and doctors.

The Second Testosterone Bellwether Trial

Mr. Konrad was in his late forties when he began using Androgel in 2010. He was prescribed testosterone to treat a decrease in his testosterone levels. Two months later he suffered a heart attack. He filed suit years later, alleging that AbbVie knew about the link between testosterone use and heart attacks but sold the product anyway, and without sufficient warnings. The jury did not find that Mr. Konrad proved the connection between his use of Androgel and his heart attack. Other factors, such as Mr. Konrad’s obesity, high blood pressure, and family history, could have caused his heart attack. Nevertheless, the jury found that AbbVie was liable for damages based on AbbVie’s negligence and misrepresentation.

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Clay, thank you sir for making a disheartening experience at least palatable, you and your staff were honest, caring and understanding through the entire process of my wife’s hip replacements, while monetary settlements never make the pain and suffering end, it sometimes is the only way people can fight back to right a wrong. J. V.

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