You should check to see if you qualify for BP Oil spill settlement money, it does not cost anything.

Much of the class action lawsuit that spawned the settlement agreement for affected businesses and individuals has not been resolved, but the window for business claims covered by the deal will close in April of next year.

Many businesses not located near the coast have failed to file claims because they assumed they would not qualify, and owners of such businesses should take a closer look at the terms of the settlement. It is recommended to at least do that, It doesn’t cost anything.

The BP Deepwater Horizon spill in April of 2010 dumped 5.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf, more than 17 times the amount of crude that was spilled by the wreck of the Exxon Valdez tanker in 1989. In the lawsuit for which Juneau is administering claims Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Texas and Mississippi sued BP and seven other defendants. Strange said it would be a mistake for the state to leave settlement money on the table in light of the severity of the disaster.

The entire coastline of Mississippi was covered in oil,” he said. There was tremendous damage done to the state of Mississippi.

New Research Points to Risks of Pradaxa Brain Hemorrhage

http://injurylawyer-news.com/2013/05/new-research-points-risks-pradaxa-brain-hemorrhage/

Ava Lawson | May 15th, 2013 | Posted in Pradaxa Lawsuits

 

Pradaxa bleeding injuries

Emerging research underscores the potentially fatal consequences of Pradaxa bleeding complications.

The blockbuster anticoagulant was launched by drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim back in October 2010, but the lack of a Pradaxa reversal agent has resulted in hundreds of deaths among recipients, as doctors have few means to stop the effects of uncontrolled bleeding brought on by the medication. This month, two new studies highlight the dangers of intracranial Pradaxa brain hemorrhage among patients who suffered closed head injuries. The research was published in two respected medical journals: Neurosurgical Focus and the Journal of Neurosurgery.

Dr. Brian Walcott, who co-authored one of the studies said, “[Pradaxa] has the potential to provide an important health benefit when used for the proper indications… The lack of an available reversal agent should be recognized as an important current limitation of its use, particularly in patients at a high risk for falls.”

Study reveals dangers of Pradaxa brain hemorrhage

In the Journal of Neurosurgery report, researchers compared case studies among head trauma patients who were on the older blood-thinning medication known as warfarin with patients who took Pradaxa (dabigatran) and others who took no anticoagulants. The study included 15 patients who suffered closed head injuries. Those who were taking warfarin recovered, but of the five patients who were on Pradaxa, two of them died due to brain hemorrhaging that physicians were unable to control, due to the lack of reversal agent. Bleeding events associated with warfarin, on the other hand, can be staunched with a dose of Vitamin K. The team of researchers concluded that “The development of reversal agents is urgently needed given the growing number of patients treated with this medication.”

Pradaxa bleeding complications in patients have led to uncontrollable gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhages and strokes, prompting scores of lawsuits around the nation. Plaintiffs and the families of those who died from Pradaxa-related bleeding injuries, claim that manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim failed to properly test the medication before marketing it, and failed to warn consumers about potential risks. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been flooded with adverse event reports involving Pradaxa bleeding events.

In the first quarter of 2011, the agency reported that some 120 people died on Pradaxa and 500 or more patients suffered complications with incidents of Pradaxa hemorrhage or bleeds. These figures are a stark contrast to those associated with warfarin – a drug that requires patients to undertake more frequent monitoring, but has fewer risks of excessive bleeding.

The other study reported in Neurosurgical Focus examined methods and potential reversal agents that could be used to prevent Pradaxa blood thinning effects. Researchers discovered that the only viable means to mitigate these effects was to administer dialysis on patients to cleanse the blood and remove all traces of the drug from the system.

Pradaxa bleeding complications spark wrongful death claims

Though still widely prescribed for patients with atrial fibrillation, adverse Pradaxa side effects have prompted a wave of litigation among individuals who suffered life-altering injuries and complications from the blood-thinning medication. Plaintiffs allege that Boehringer failed to sufficiently alert them about the risks of complications such as Pradaxa brain hemorrhage.

To coordinate pre-trial proceedings, all federal cases alleging Pradaxa bleeding injuries were centralized in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, where Boehringer Ingelheim faces hundreds of claims. Judge David Herndon is overseeing the MDL and has scheduled the first trial dates for August 2014. However, both parties will be meeting this August to begin discussions for possible Pradaxa lawsuit settlements.

If you or a loved one have taken Yaz you need to read this.

Yaz and Yasmin both use a new type of progestin hormone called drospirenone, which was designed to reduce many of the side effects of earlier birth control pills. However, researchers have now discovered that this chemical may contribute to more serious health risks.

In early FDA clinical trials, Yaz research identified risks with drospirenone, finding that the hormone could increase the level of potassium in the blood, leading to heart attacks and blood clots.

In August of 2009, The British Medical Journal published two independent studies conducted in Denmark and The Netherlands. Both found that women taking drugs like Yaz and Yasmin, with the hormone drospirenone, had higher risks for blood clots.

The British Medical Journal published further Yaz research in October of 2011 with a study from the University of Copenhagen finding that drugs like Yaz could increase the risk of venous blood clots.

 

FDA Blood Clots Risk Study

On October 27, 2011, the FDA released its own study of more than 800,000 women. Although it reached similar results, the FDA study quantified that drugs like Yaz containing drospirenone could actually increase the risk of blood clots by as much as 74%.

With such high occurrence rates and estimates that more than 80 million women have taken these birth control drugs, it came as little surprise when The Institute for Safe Medicine Practices reported that Yaz and Yasmin ranked second highest in 2011 for the number of complications reported to the FDA.

With Yaz research mounting and more than 10,000 lawsuits filed by women alleging serious side effects, Bayer announced in early 2012 that it would begin settling injury claims. The company has reserved more than $1 billion to settle these claims and continues to resolve cases for those affected.

Have you reported your employer for fraudulent activities and then were treated un fairly?

In 1863, Congress enacted the False Claims Act (FCA) to hold individuals and companies responsible when they defraud governmental programs. There is a provision in the FCA that allows a person not affiliated with the government to file claims on behalf of the government. This has come to be known as “whistleblowing,” because the person is drawing attention to fraud, or “blowing the whistle” on foul play.

There are a number of types of fraud and corruption that may be investigated for violations of the FCA and whistleblower laws. These include any instances where individuals or businesses attempt to solicit a fraudulent claim for payment. This may include payments for goods or services. Some examples of possible whistleblower investigations include:

  • A contractor who falsifies test results or other information regarding the quality or cost of products it sells to the Government;
  • A health care provider who bills Medicare for services that were not performed or were unnecessary;
  • A grant recipient who charges the Government for costs not related to the grant;
  • Possible violations of the federal securities law that results in penalties or recoveries by the SEC or agencies;
  • Tax fraud of more than $2 million, or any fraud committed by an individual who makes more than $200,000 per year;
  • Lying to the government about the true wholesale price of prescription drugs;
  • Double billing.

There also is a part of the False Claims Act that is known as the “whistleblower protection” provision. This provision ensures that if you are fired, demoted, suspended, threatened or discriminated against in any other way by an employer as a result of your filing a report of fraud, that you will be reinstated to your former position. This includes receiving any seniority that may have been affected, as well as back pay, interest and other compensation that may be due as a result of damages or losses you suffered as a result of filing a claim.

If you feel you have a claim, our attorneys would like to talk to you. You may be entitled to compensation. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation legal consultation.

Granuflo and Naturalyte claims information, FDA Issues advisement

The FDA has advised health care professionals and patients that GranuFlo and NaturaLyte products when inappropriately prescribed or administered in dosing errors may cause life-threatening cardiac problems. “This may contribute to metabolic alkalosis, which is a significant risk factor associated with low blood pressure, hypokalemia, hypoxemia, hypercapnia and cardiac arrhythmia, which, if not appropriately treated, may culminate in cardiopulmonary arrest,” the FDA said in its announcement. “This product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including death.”

If you have been treated with these drugs, please contact Rebecca or Shane Langston at Langston and Langston PLLC. 1 (888) 329-0827, rebecca@langstonlawyers.com, shane@langstonlawyers.com

(Reuters) INSIGHT-Top heart doctors fret over new blood thinners

By Ransdell Pierson

(Reuters) – For millions of heart patients, a pair of new blood thinners have been heralded as the first replacements in 60 years for warfarin, a pill whose hardships and risks have deterred many from using the stroke-prevention medicine.

But growing complaints of risks and deaths tied to the new crop of drugs have made some t op U.S. cardiologists hesitant to prescribe them. Some are proposing a more rigorous monitoring regimen for when they are used.

Most concerns revolve around Pradaxa, a twice daily pill from Boehringer Ingelheim that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in October 2010 to prevent strokes in patients with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation. It was the first new oral treatment for that use since warfarin was introduced in the 1950s.

“The good news is you now have an alternative to warfarin,” said Dr. Alan Jacobson, director of anti-coagulation services at the Veterans Administration (VA) healthcare system in Loma Linda, California. “The bad news is you can kill a patient as easily with the new drug as you could with the old drug” if it is not handled properly.

“The average patient doesn’t understand anything about the new drug, or what the risks are, or what other medicines he can or can’t take,” said Jacobson, citing interactions with common painkillers and other drugs that can alter Pradaxa blood levels.

Reuters – BP hit by wave of new spill lawsuits ahead of deadline

(Reuters) – BP Plc (BP.L) has been hit by over 2,200 new lawsuits seeking payback for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill in the past few weeks as individuals, companies and government bodies rushed to stake their claim before their right to do so expired.

The British oil company, whose deepwater Macondo well ruptured on April 20, 2010, killing 11 men and spilling crude into the sea for weeks, revealed the number of new claims made since March 6 in its first-quarter results on Tuesday.

The United States Oil Pollution Act of 1990, under which most of the new lawsuits were registered, has a three year statute of limitations which could make bringing further legal action difficult after the third anniversary of the disaster.

BP said it would be applying to have the new legal challenges consolidated into a trial that is already under way in New Orleans.

The first phase of the trial of BP and its partners in the well, Transocean (RIG.N) and Halliburton (HAL.N), ended earlier in April, but the judge, Carl Barbier, has yet to rule on the degree of blame that will be apportioned to each party and on the level of negligence that will be applied.

Both decisions could have a big impact on the size of BP’s final liability, already measured in tens of billions of dollars. His ruling, to be made without a jury as is traditional under U.S. maritime law, could come this summer.

$1.7 BILLION CLAIMS HEADROOM

BP also revealed that its $20 billion spill fund – some of which is earmarked for compensation claims it has already agreed to pay – has only $1.7 billion still unassigned.

The company is fighting to keep a lid on so-called Business Economic Loss (BEL) claims which are being paid out of the fund at a higher rate and to more businesses than it expected.

In the results statement, it raised its estimate of such compensation payouts it can already quantify to $8.2 billion from $7.7 billion previously.

The estimate has been fluctuating up and down since last year, but BP has continued to stress it does not include any BEL claims that have yet to be made or processed. It has said that should BEL claims balloon beyond what the $20 billion fund can pay, it will have to take new charges against its profits on top of the $42.2 billion overall provision it has already set aside.