3 Things To Do If A Hospital Stay Made You Sicker

Medical Malpractice

Medical errors can lead to fatal infections and are now the third leading cause of death in the US. Johns Hopkins patient safety experts say these mistakes are responsible for more than 250,000 deaths per year and nearly 70 percent of the 1.7 million preventable hospital-acquired infections accounted for.

Hospital-acquired infections can be caused by viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens. The most common types are central-line associated infections, pneumonia, urinary tract infection (UTI), Clostridium Difficile (C. diff) infections, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), invasive Candidiasis, Septicemia, and surgical site infections (SSI).

Cancer worries halt shipments of generic Zantac

Zantac

A division of Swiss pharmaceutical maker Novartis is halting distribution of generic Zantac pills over concerns about an ingredient possibly linked to cancer.

Novartis-owned Sandoz has issued a “precautionary distribution stop” of all medicines containing ranitidine, an antacid and antihistamine used to block stomach acid.

The stop “in all our markets will remain in place” until “further clarification,” Novartis said.

“Our internal investigation is ongoing to determine further details,” the company said.

The move came after the Food and Drug Administration last week said it had detected low levels of a probable carcinogen in the heartburn drug Zantac and its generic versions.

Test findings:FDA finds probable carcinogen in Zantac and other heartburn drugs

The probable carcinogen, called NDMA, has also prompted the recall of several

New Supreme Court Decision Offers Guidance for Mass Tort Preemption Defense

Fosamax

After years of limited guidance, the Supreme Court has finally provided direction to lower courts on the issue of preemption when they delivered their opinion in Merck v. Albrecht. “Preemption” is a common defense used by defendants in pharmaceutical mass tort litigation. Through this defense, pharmaceutical companies argue that the state law causes of action are preempted by the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) control over drug and medical device approval and labeling.

The Preemption Defense

The Merck v. Albrecht case centers the drug, Fosamax, as a focal point in the mass tort litigation. Fosamax is pharmaceutical used for osteoporosis treatment and the case revolves around atypical femur fractures caused by use of the osteoporosis drug. Merck, the maker of Fosamax, asserted the preemption defense. Merck argued that it was the state’s failure to warn consumers of the drug’s risk and causes of action could not be brought against Merck because the FDA rejected its proposed warning label change in 2008. When Merck began to receive reports of atypical femur fractures in the early 2000s, it submitted a proposed label change to the FDA in 2008 and included a warning for fractures. The FDA rejected this labeling change, therefore Merck argues it cannot be sued for “failure to warn” because its attempt to warn was rejected by the FDA. The plaintiffs argue that the proposed label change was rejected because it incorrectly referred to the fractures as stress fractures, rather than atypical femur fractures. In 2011, the FDA requested and changed the label to warn of atypical femur fractures.

Accident victim’s family wins $42M from trucking company

Truck Accidents

A landmark court case could change the way the trucking industry protects your family on the road.

WUSA9’s series of reports on deadly crashes known as “underride accidents” began in 2017. Now, the largest ever verdict against a trucking company for one of those underride accidents is exposing how the industry secretly fought new safety features for more than a decade — despite knowing the risks.

A side underride accident killed 16-year-old Riley Hein on a New Mexico interstate in 2015. Riley’s car careened off an embankment and ended up lodged underneath the side of a trailer manufactured by Utility Manufacturing Company.

“The truck driver drug his car for a half a mile until it caught on fire and Riley burned to death,” Riley’s father, Eric, said.

Heartburn drug Zantac may contain small amounts of carcinogen

Zantac

A substance that could cause cancer has been found in some ranitidine heartburn and ulcer medicines, including the brand-name drug Zantac, and the source of this contamination is being investigated, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

While preliminary tests found low levels of the nitrosamine impurity N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in some ranitidine products, the FDA said this does not mean patients taking the drugs should stop using them now.

NDMA is the same contaminant found in many brands of blood pressure and heart failure medicines during the past year, leading to recalls.

Patients who are taking prescription ranitidine and want to stop using it should discuss alternatives with their health care provider, the FDA advised. Those taking over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine could switch to other OTC