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Dangerous and Defective Products
Drugs for Osteoporosis Prescribed Unecessarily?
Defective Children’s Products & Toys are Constantly Recalled
Food manufacturers make consumers responsible
Defibrillator recalled by ZOLL Medical Corporation
Birth Injury
Understanding the Severity of Shoulder Dystocia
Warning Signs of Brachial Palsy Every Parent Should Know
The Scary Truth About Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
Birth Injuries Can Lead to Neonatal Death
Semi-Truck and Auto Accidents
Cell Phones and Kentucky Car Accidents
Defective Maintenance Issues Can Cause Kentucky Truck Wrecks
Texting Ban on Kentucky Motorists passed by House
Medical Mistakes
Fewer complications from heart device specialists
Pain Pumps
Pain Pumps: FDA Requires Warning that Use in Joint Causes Chondrolysis and Cartilage Damage
YAZ Lawsuits
Yaz and Yasmin May Cause Stroke
Taking Yaz or Yasmin May Cause Deep Vein Thrombosis
Yaz Can Lead to Irregular Heartbeat
Hyperkalemia is a Potential Complication of Yaz Birth Control
Lawsuit Filed Against Bayer for Misrepresenting Safety and Effectiveness of Yaz
General
Types of sports-related injuries
Protecting children from unintentional injuries
Safety issues for children in hot weather
Zicam Recall Result of FDA Warning
Zicam Maker violated FDA Regulations
News
Yoga and mindful eating is a way to fight obesity...
Tips for parents on treating children's ankle sprains...
Brown fat cells may provide way to fight obesity...
New function for muscular dystrophy protein...
Patients having trouble with medical bills...
Safety travel tips for parents...
FDA seeking input from public on tobacco use...
Safety airline travel tips for parents...
Zicam Cold Remedy Causes Loss of Sense of Smell...
More people are skipping medications because of cost...
Library
Birth Injury
Do You Know What Caused Your Baby to Suffer from Shoulder Dystocia?
Common Causes of Brachial Palsy
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy Can Often Be Prevented
What is traumatic brain injury?
Semi-Truck and Auto Accidents
Ten Factors That Can Lead to a Serious Kentucky Truck Accident
Cell Phones Are Blamed For Many Kentucky Car Accidents
There Are An Alarming Amount of Kentucky Car Accidents Every Year
Dangerous and Defective Products
Kentucky Lawsuits Filed Over Toyota’s Defective Accelerator Pedal
Fosamax osteoporosis drug prescribed when women only has osteopenia
Zicam cases in Kentucky and Ohio
Fentanyl pain patch being abused
Medical Mistakes
Common Drug Errors to Watch Out For
One in Fifteen Children Injured by Medicine Mistakes
One in 50 Heart Attack Victims Sent Home by Emergency Room Doctors
Surgical Errors Cost Billions of Dollars Every Year
How to prevent medical mistakes
Pain Pumps
Knees and Pain Pumps: New Evidence Linking Cartilage Loss in Knee Joint to Pain Pumps
YAZ Lawsuits
Signs and Treatment of Kidney Failure
Yaz or Yasmin Birth Control Can Cause Deep Vein Thrombosis
Symptoms of Pulmonary Embolism Caused by Yaz and Yasmin Birth Control
General
Types of sports-related injuries
Treatment of children's sports-related injuries
Protecting children from unintentional injuries
Keeping children safe in hot weather
New arthritis drug approved by FDA
Attorney Ronald E. Johnson of Schachter & Hendy concentrates on legal issues regarding medical issues. The New York Times recently reported that the Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug from Johnson and Johnson that fights three forms of arthritis caused by immune-system disorders.
The new medication is called Simponi. It is a follow-up drug to Remicade, also marketed by Johnson & Johnson in the US and Europe, and in other countries by Schering-Plough Corporation, that brought in $5 billion last year.
The new drug can be used for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis, all chronic disorders involving the immune system attacking joints. Simponi is made to be injected under the skin once a month, and given with other drugs that suppress the immune system. It is intended for use in combination with the immunosuppressant drug methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. It also may be used with or without methotrexate for psoriatic arthritis and alone in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory arthritis of the spine.
Simponi is in a class of drugs that targets and neutralizes tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-?). This is a protein that, when overproduced in the body due to chronic inflammatory diseases, can cause inflammation and damage to bones, cartilage and tissue. Simponi includes a boxed warning alerting patients and health care professionals to the risk of tuberculosis and invasive fungal infections with use of the drug.
The FDA also required a risk evaluation mitigation strategy (REMS) for Simponi, as it required for other TNF-? blockers. The REMS for Simponi includes a Medication Guide for patients and a communication plan to help prescriber’s understand the drug’s risks. The most common adverse reactions to Simponi include upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat and nasal congestion.
According to the New York Times, Johnson & Johnson and Schering have described the drug as the new standard of so-called tumor necrosis factor blockers, a group of drugs that includes Enbrel from Wyeth and Amgen, and Humira from Abbott Laboratories. Unlike Simponi, those drugs are generally injected once every week or two weeks.
The website, http://arthritis.about.com/od/arthritismedications/a/drug_safety.htm
has safety tips for patients using arthritis. They suggest that it is up to patients to make sure the drugs they use are safe. They should fully understand the prescription after discussing it with both their doctor and their pharmacist. It is important for the medication to be taken on time every day to make sure their work correctly. Patients should talk to their doctors each time they seem them about their medication.
They stress that it is up to the patient to understand new prescriptions and to know the possible side effects. They have 10 safety tips:
1. Become familiar with the name of the medication and write notes on the strength and directions yourself
2. Don't be shy about making the doctor take extra time with you so you understand why you are taking this particular medication
3. Ask the doctor the time frame, how long before you will see improvement
4. Ask for samples of medications
5. List all your medications and the possible side effects and understand how the medications interact with each other
6. In a journal, write down the date, times of day you take your medications, how you feel before and after you take them, and make notes of other pertinent details or questions you have formulated. Show your journal/symptom diary to your doctor at your next appointment.
7. Safely dispose of medications with other toxic substances to protect the environment
8. Always double-check your medication against pharmacy errors
9. Check the FDA website to make sure your medication is safe
10. Patients should be aware of contraindications, meaning some patients should take certain arthritis medications
11. Patients should research the effects of alcohol on their medication
12. In a journal, write down the date, times of day you take your medications, how you feel before and after you take them, and make notes of other pertinent details or questions you have formulated. Show your journal/symptom diary to your doctor at your next appointment.
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Schachter, Hendy & Johnson, Attorneys At Law
909 Wrights Summit Parkway
Suite 210
Fort Wright, KY 41011
Phone: (859) 578-4444
Fax: (859) 578-4440
Toll Free: (888) 606-5297
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Contact Us
Schachter, Hendy & Johnson, Attorneys At Law
909 Wrights Summit Parkway
Suite 210
Fort Wright, KY 41011
Phone: (859) 578-4444
Fax: (859) 578-4440
Toll Free: (888) 606-5297
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FAQs
Pain Pumps
Can pain pumps injure knees as well as shoulders?
How do I know if my shoulder pain is the result of a defective pain pump?
YAZ Lawsuits
- If I have had a stroke, heart attack, blood clots of another condition caused by YAZ birth control, what are my legal rights?
- How do I know if my stroke, heart attack or blood clots were caused by YAZ birth control?