Texas’ malpractice reform has been a major failure. It allows doctors to treat patients knowing that they will not be held accountable for any mistakes. Texas has also become a haven for doctors who have lost their license or face severe restrictions in their home states and want to practice with no oversight; a dangerous scenario.
Hopefully this post on Restore Your Dignity will draw some attention to the topic and make other states think twice before taking similar action.
As of 2006, there were over 74,000 lawyers in New York City alone. This means the task of finding the right injury attorney can seem overwhelming – especially while you are trying to recover from potentially serious injuries. But, you can quickly narrow the list and find the right lawyer for you by employing a few search techniques.
Begin your search on the Internet
Use your home computer or one available at your local library to begin your search. Use a reputable law firm search website to find local attorneys. Start by searching within the practice area you need, such as personal injury, and further reduce the search based on location. Then, study the law firm websites to get more information, such as the following:
Take the time to make the right choice
Do your research so you have the best chance of finding an attorney who can remove much of the pain and confusion while ensuring you get the best possible resolution for your case.
In New York, state accident laws can be very complex. Your New York injury attorney must understand how local laws address such issues as proving liability, determining degree of fault for all involved parties, and the amount and type of compensation that can be pursued. Make sure the attorney you select has extensive experience.
The FDA has realesead a notification that Proctor & Gamble are recalling three lots of their Vicks Sinex nasal spray. The nasal spray was contaminated by the bacteria B. cepacia and according to the FDA, “the bacteria could cause serious infections.”
If you use this product, check your box because the lot number for the affected product is 9239028831. We will have more news on this as it becomes available.
Yesterday the FDA issued a public health advisory warning that side effects of Prilosec, an over the counter heartburn medication, may interfere with the effectiveness of Plavix, an anti-blood clotting medication. This increases the risk of a heart attack, death or other injuries for patients.
The advisory was released after an FDA investigation of the effects of combining Prilosec and Plavix found that their combined use reduces the effective of Plavix by almost 50%. The FDA will now require new warnings on the label for Plavix, Prilosec and other heartburn medications that work the same way by inhibiting the CYP2C19 enzyme, which interacts with Plavix.
Plavix is a blood thinner that prevents platelets from sticking together and forming clots. It is a blockbuster medication, generating over $6 billion annually for Bristol Myers Squibb. Prilosec and other stomach acid drugs are often prescribed in tandem with Plavix to combat upset stomachs, a common side effect of Plavix.
Whats scary about this is that Plavix is usually only prescribed to patients who have a very high risk of heart attacks or strokes. Reducing it’s effectiveness by 50% can be a death sentence for these patients. If you know anybody who takes Plavix, warn them about this immediatly. Everyday they do not know this they are putting their life in danger. If they have any adverse affects while taking Plavix and a stomach acid inhibitor while taking Plavix, they should contact a lawyer to discuss their options. According to the FDA, Zantac, Pepcid, Axid, Mylanta and Maalox are safe alternatives to Prilosec and its generics for Plavix patients.
We spend a lot of time on this blog talking about how dangerous some prescription drugs are. But that’s not the only way the drug companies mislead consumers. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine niacin, an inexpensive b-vitamin called niacin significantly outperformed the multi-billion dollar drug ezetimibe when it came to shrinking artery plaque.
Many of you may better know ezetimibe as the active ingredient in the cholesterol drugs Zetia and Vytorin, which have combined for $21 billion in sales since 2003. To emulate its effectiveness with a vitamin that can be purchased in any supermarket or drug store for under $5 seemed like a long shot. But niacin not only held its own against ezetimibe, it outperformed it. According to the studies’ lead investigator, Allen Taylor:
“The results are very clear…niacin was superiour”
Unlike the other drugs featured on this site, no one will argue that ezetimibe is dangerous. It has even been shown to be an effective drug, but the 21 billion dollar question is this: is it better than the inexpensive and easily obtained niacin? The overwhelming evidence says no.