FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Xenadrine RFA-1, a dietary supplement containing ephedrine, may have contributed to the death of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler, said Broward County Medical Examiner Joshua Perper. Bechler died of heatstroke on Monday after collapsing on the field Sunday during workout.
“I would like to hope this very unfortunate and tragic death would […]

New research suggests ibuprofen may be dangerous for most heart patients because it can block the blood-thinning benefits of aspirin. Researchers discovered those heart patients taking both aspirin and ibuprofen were twice as likely to die during the study period as those who were taking aspirin alone or with other types of common pain relievers. […]

Corpus Christi, TX — The first Baycol case goes to trial as jury selection begins in Haltom v. Bayer Corp., No. 02-60165-2, in a Texas, state court. Bayer is the target of thousands of product liability suits that allege that Baycol caused debilitating muscle damage and, in approximately 100 instances, death. Plaintiff’s counsel, Mikal C. […]

Eleven people have sued Bayer Corp., alleging they suffered strokes caused by phenylpropanolamine, or PPA in Alka-Seltzer Plus they used, joining almost 700 people who are suing the company in federal courts across the company. Bayer should have known that phenylpropanolamine, or PPA, was dangerous, said the plaintiffs.
“I think we’ll be able to show the […]

U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin cleared the way for lawsuits brought by thousands of investors who allege they were victims of fraud in initial stock offerings during the peak years of the stock market boom. The shareholder suits consolidated in re: Initial Public Offering Securities Litigation, 21 MC 92, target more than 460 high […]

Reports of elderly abuse are widespread among the nation’s nursing homes, according to a government report. The study, prepared at the request of Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California, found that 30 percent of nursing homes in the United States - 5,283 facilities - were cited for almost 9,000 instances of abuse over a recent two-year period, […]

Superior Court Judge Kenneth Lee suspended the largest reported verdict in a suit involving laser-corrective eye surgery and ordered a new trial after Dr. Jeffrey Machat, a key plaintiff’s expert, said his testimony was wrong. Steve Post, a former commercial airline pilot, was awarded $4 million last May after alleging that doctors at University Physicians […]

Some doctors are warning to carefully consider which painkiller you use, as new research suggests that Vioxx and Celebrex may delay healing of a broken bone. There is no proof yet that anti-inflammatory painkillers cause major bone problems, but some bone experts call the research compelling enough that doctors should explain the risk to patients. […]

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer accused Pharmacia, GlaxoSmithKline, and Aventis of bribing doctors and pharmacists to favor their products, costing consumers as much as $100 million a year. Spitzer�s lawsuits against the companies allege consumer fraud, commercial bribery and making false statements concerning wholesale prices to government-operated subsidized health plans.
“It is craven, it […]

Public Citizen, a nationwide consumer organization, petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to immediately ban Meridia, the popular weight-loss drug made by Abbott Laboratories, after 19 deaths were reported as possibly related to the drug.
Abbot said the deaths had not been proven to be related to Meridia and that in any case the number […]