Midway Point for Heart Drug Plavix Statute of Limitations

May 20th, 2011. By AbiK

Plavix has started to appear in the news again. Word about Plavix lawsuits—as happens with many pharma tort cases—had died downed within a few weeks of the FDA’s announcement that it would place a black box warning on Plavix (clopidogrel bisulfate). That black box label change happened back in March, 2010—so for many, the statute of limitations for filing a Plavix lawsuit will be up as we approach April 2012—and that’s not as far away as it might seem.

Plavix, which is prescribed for patients at higher risk for heart attack or stroke, is an anti-platelet drug that works by helping to prevent blood from forming clots.

The issue with Plavix—and the reason for the black box warning—is that some patients are not able to metabolize the drug effectively once it’s in their system. The result is that the drug’s effectiveness is reduced. Which, for a person who may be prone to heart attack or stroke, could perhaps be life-threatening.

The patients identified as those at risk for lower metabolization of Plavix are those with an abnormal CYP2C19 genotype—those known as “poor metabolizers”; CYP2C19 is the drug-metabolizing enzyme that serves as the body’s catalyst to convert Plavix to its active (and effective) form.

Reports have indicated that potentially 2 to 14 percent of the population are “poor metabolizers”. Read the rest of this entry »

Takes Lives but can’t Take a Joke? Hey Asbestos, You got Punked!

May 20th, 2011. By Hunter West

I feel for the town of Asbestos, in Quebec. I really do.

Perhaps you haven’t heard of Asbestos, Quebec—a town of 6,000 located in the Canadian province that is home to the Jeffrey asbestos mine. It used to be the world’s largest asbestos mine until recently. And yes, it’s still active. In fact, the mine remains the town’s largest employer. 

You may know that already, if you watched the recent segment of Jon Stewart’s ‘The Daily Show’ that lampooned the mine, and the town. (And if you didn’t, there’s an amateur clip of the segment above.)

There is little doubt that ‘The Daily Show’ was out to make fun of Asbestos, Quebec. How could they not? Asbestos the fiber, in the last several years, has become known as a scourge—the cause of asbestosis, mesothelioma and asbestos cancer. The latency is something like 30 years or more between exposure and certain death.

Asbestos the fiber has been banned in many parts of the world, and is tightly controlled elsewhere. An entire industry has sprung up to facilitate the safe removal of asbestos. The latter could be prohibitively expensive. Perfectly good buildings have been torn down, rather then re-purposed because the costs of asbestos removal were just too great.

For heaven’s sake, there have been examples of family members of asbestos fiber workers meeting their maker just being in close proximity with asbestos (the fiber, not the town). Some wives have died simply washing their husband’s asbestos-laden work clothes.

There is no question that asbestos is bad stuff.

But it is still used. There is still a market for it—such as India, for example. And when the Read the rest of this entry »

Asbestos News Roundup: 5.19.11

May 19th, 2011. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. An ongoing list of asbestos hot spots from the Asbestos News Roundup archive appears on our asbestos map.

Asbestos Lawsuits

Galveston, TX:  A widow who alleges her husband died from asbestos-related lung cancer has filed an asbestos claim naming Fort Worth & Denver Railroad Co., Burlington-Rock Island Railroad Co., Burlington Northern Railroad and Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway as defendants.

Elouise York claims that her husband, Ernest B. York Jr, was exposed to asbestos during his 40-years working for the predecessors of BNSF Railway and that he came into contact with “dusty” asbestos-containing products during that time. Further, the suit claims, Mr. York was not aware of the potential fatal health effects associated with asbestos, such as asbestos mesothelioma and asbestosis.  Mr. York Jr, died from lung cancer in November 2010, having been diagnosed in 2008.

Mr. York worked on the railroads from 1957 to 1998. According to the suit, he worked on steam and diesel engines which traveled and operated between terminals in Teague and Galveston as a brakeman and conductor. And, Mrs. York claims, her late husband’s duties and responsibilities exposed him to toxic substances including asbestos and asbestos-containing products.

“The decedent’s exposure to asbestos and other toxic substances is herein alleged for the special period of time commencing with the onset of the decedent’s railroad work through December 31, 1976,” the suit says.(SETexasRecord.com)

Jefferson County, TX:  Edgar and Mary Hemphill have filed an asbestos suit naming Chevron USA and nine other companies as defendants. The suit alleges that defendants exposed Edgar Read the rest of this entry »

Want a Flat Stomach? Check out my Ab Circle Pro Review…

May 19th, 2011. By AbiK

I’m gearing up—with mere weeks to go—for baring what I can this summer in a bathing suit. After 3 kids and a grand exodus out of my 20’s (alright, 30’s too), hopes for a bikini bod may be right up there with my hope to have been creator of LinkedIn (#IPO!!). Delusional I may be, but hope rings eternal and—dammit—I’m going to get into a 2-piece this summer. Won’t be a D&G string bikini—my fantasies don’t extend to role-playing Eve donning a leaf or two for coverage and my wallet, well, just doesn’t extend period—but lose the Speedo I shall. So I’m shopping for fitness equipment, and I happen upon the Ab Circle Pro. Come check it out with me…

First stop, the Ab Circle Pro website. First question? Who the hell is Audrina Patridge? Ditto Jennifer Nicole Lee. And as for Amanda Beard, well, her “before” photo has her looking a bit pregnant and my guess on how she lost that 45 lbs is it was more a result of delivering her baby vs. the Ab Circle Pro. A bit dubious. But no, I am not jaded.

So the Ab Circle Pro website is beckoning me to “take the ride of your life”. The “ride” is a get-on-all-fours on what’s basically one of those disc sled saucers—knees resting on moveable pads that can rotate around the rim of the saucer. I wanted a better view, so I hopped over to Consumer Reports Ab Circle Pro video (above)—always good for some unbiased input. And what do you know? They pretty much slam the contraption as not worth it. Hmm.

Next, my interest piqued, I decided to search for Ab Circle Pro reviews—which landed me at the mother of all marketplaces, Amazon. Here’s a little depiction of what I found there (as of 5/19/11):

Seems the Ab Circle Pro only got a 1-star rating by close to 50% of those who bought and tried it. And there are two interesting trends in all those reviewers comments:

1. The Ab Circle Pro is described with words like “falls apart”, “cheap construction”, “paint peeling”, “wheels come off”, “quality sucks”. Described consistently I might add. Hmm.

2. The Ab Circle Pro seems as connected to the words “injury” and “damage” as downing a daily Klondike bar is connected to keeping the pounds on. No kidding—here are some comments:

Ab Circle Pro Knee Injury: “This is an excellent piece of crap. From the time it comes to your home it keeps on injuring you…when you are using it screws your knees“

Ab Circle Pro Knee Injury: “All buyers need to be careful of this machine. It is unsafe. Depending on the level of your workouts, you can throw yourself out of the knee holders. I did this and ended up having surgery on my shoulder for a torn rotator cuff! I found out, when I called and explained the situation to the customer service rep, that I could have gel knee pads to put in the cups for an extra fee! I told them that I was injured by this machine due to not having the gel inserts and required surgery! I got them for free, and I can see why, the gel inserts are garbage! I do not use this machine anymore. It scares me! The surgery I had was the worst in pain and now my ROM is restricted. If you buy this, please be cautious as to how you use it and if you are smart, you will avoid it all together.”

Not to mention several stories from people who resorted to either Vaseline® or Pam cooking spray to lubricate the Ab Circle Pro’s parts.

I Googled Ab Circle Pro a bit more—only to find my search revealed new keyword associations like “Ab Circle Pro Back Pain Damage to Lower Spine” as the headline of a user’s comment over at Complaints Board. Which also led me to two individuals who found themselves with fractured Humerus bones, apparently compliments of that “ride” of their lives on Ab Circle Pro.

Crowning touch? The handful of folks who’ve gone as far as to suggest an Ab Circle Pro lawsuit or an Ab Circle Pro class action. Hey, wait a minute! That just might make for a story over at LawyersandSettlements.com (wink-wink)…

This is not boding well for my get-a-bikini-bod plan. Or maybe it is—keep the Speedo, get in shape the tried and true old-fashioned way with some exercise and a few less Lindt truffles—and skip risking an Ab Circle Pro injury and the aggravation of a piece of junk that falls apart. Maybe for some folks the Ab Circle Pro is the way to go, but for my pre-buy review, I think it’ll be buyer beware…

What is Fracking? Catchy Video Explains the Fracking Fuss

May 17th, 2011. By AbiK

 

If you haven’t seen the My Water’s on Fire Tonight (The Fracking Song) video, here’s a chance to check it out. It’s quick, but it delivers its message—and there’s something about the bobbing oil towers and retro “What the Frack is Going on…” sound that’s making me have some sort of Soul Train flashback moment.

Credit must be given to ProPublica and the students at NYU Studio 20 who set out to create a video to explain what hydraulic fracking is all about—or at least what the primary concern of anti-fracking groups is. You can also read more about hydraulic fracturing (nickname: fracking) on the following pages here at LawyersandSettlements.com…

Topic Page: Hydraulic Fracturing Water Contamination

EPA Gets Fracking on Study

Fracking and Flammable Tap Water? NY Says Hell No…for now

BP Spill, San Bruno Fire, Fracking…Time to Stop Blind Faith in Gas

On Shaky Ground? Fracking Lawsuits, Earthquakes and Bad Water (oh my)

With Focus on BP, Don’t Lose Sight of Fracking Issues

BP Experience Should Have us Catching a Fracking Clue