Litigation News

              

From: News

The parents of Carter Albrecht, a Dallas musician who was shot to death during a bizarre episode that was allegedly fueled by Chantix side effects, have filed suit against Pfizer, Inc. According to a CBS 11 report, the lawsuit claims Pfizer did not disclose the risks of Chantix or provide adequate warning of possible side effects when Albrecht began taking it in an effort to quit smoking.

Albrecht’s death occurred in September 2007, just a week after he began taking Chantix. Shortly after beginning Chantix therapy, Albrecht began complaining of vivid dreams. According to a Dallas Morning News article published after his death, Albrecht had lashed out violently towards his girlfriend on the night he died – something she said had never occurred before. Albrecht’s girlfriend told the Morning News that he seemed confused and terrified, and looked at her as though he did not recognize her. Somehow, Albrecht ended up at the home of a neighbor, banging violently on the back door. A call was made to 911, but before the police arrived the terrified neighbor had fired a warning shot from his rifle, which accidentally hit and killed Albrecht.

              

From: News

The Chinese drywall litigation is moving along, with the first bellwether trials expected to begin in January. Inspections of about thirty homes alleged to have been built with Chinese drywall are slated to begin in the coming days.

Consumers in 24 states have filed a total of 1,174 Chinese drywall complaints with the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC). Gases emitted from the drywall are being blamed for significant property damage, including damage to HVAC systems, smoke detectors, electrical wiring, metal plumbing components, and other household appliances. These gases also produce a sulfurous odor that permeates homes, and cause metals, including air conditioning coils and even jewelry, to corrode.

              

From: News

Bayer has been sued over Trasylol, a drug used to prevent bleeding during heart bypass surgery that was withdrawn from the market in May 2008. According to MadisonRecord.com, the lawsuit alleges that Bayer did not warn of the possible serious side effects linked to Trasylol.

Trasylol was approved by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) 1993 and, before it was withdrawn, had been used in a third of all heart surgery patients in the US. However, Trasylol has been the subject of concern for years, and its safety has been reviewed several times. In October 2007, the Canadian Data Safety Monitoring Board stopped a Trasylol trial – known as the BART clinical study – after a data analysis indicated that the 30-day mortality risk in the study’s Trasylol patients was nearing “statistical significance”. Following the revelations over the Canadian Trasylol study, Bayer suspended sales of the drug in the US, Canada and Germany.

              

From: Philly Inq.

In 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Pfizer Inc. that its ads touting the antibiotic Zyvox as superior to similar drugs could endanger public health.

Pfizer's response?

It continued to tell doctors that Zyvox worked better than cheaper generic competitors and that it was effective for various types of infections, including those that occur after surgery, even though there was no scientific evidence to support such use.

For a time, the company even promoted Zyvox for use against types of bacteria against which the drug had little or no effect.