Drugs/Medical Legal News Articles & Interviews

Santa Clara, CA Although a court order has announced a stay on proceedings in the wake of Exactech’s bankruptcy announcement, the court said it will continue to accept new Exactech hip lawsuits into the MDL. U.S. District Judge Nicolas G. Garaufis, in the Eastern District of New York, has placed a stay on all litigation involving Exactech’s defective knee, hip and ankle replacement components.

Santa Clara, CA As the list of side effects from Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs lengthens, celebrities are quitting the GLP-1 drugs. It's a no-brainer: would you risk blindness, stomach paralysis, suicidal thoughts and more serious health issues to lose 20 pounds? And gain the weight back once you stop taking the drug? And lose your good looks? 

Cleveland, OH – On December 16, 2024, Judge J. Philip Calabrese of the Northern District of Ohio heard oral arguments in Suboxone (Buprenorphine/Naloxone) Film Products Liability Litigation. The hearing concerned the defendant, Indivior PLC’s, motion to dismiss the Suboxone complaint under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim on which relief can be granted. The arguments largely tracked briefs originally filed in July 2024, which the court required to be amended.

Santa Clara, CA Exactech has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The medical device manufacturer will sell its assets to investors due to "unsustainable liabilities associated with knee and hip litigation related to the packaging recalls we voluntarily initiated between 2021 and 2022.” However, lawyers advise plaintiffs who have filed defective Exactech knee and hip implants not to panic because insurance and assets are available to victims in bankruptcy.

Cleveland, OH On September 10, 2024, the Northern District of Ohio dismissed claims against Indivior PLC and two Reckitt Benckiser entities in Suboxone (Buprenorphine/Naloxone) Film Products Liability Litigation in the multidistrict litigation centralized in the Northern District of Ohio. The court’s decision is a significant setback for individuals who suffered serious Suboxone side effects and dental damage from using the sublingual film form of the drug. They allege that Indivior and other defendants failed to adequately warn about the potential for dental erosion and decay associated with the film's acidic properties. 

Washington, DC On October 10, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, urging the FTC to closely review a proposed merger between Novo Nordisk and Catalent. Catalent is one of the very few suppliers that provide specialized development and manufacturing services to GLP-1 manufacturers. The letter urges the FTC to block the deal if it could hurt Americans by limiting competition and raising the price of life-saving medicine. Not coincidentally, killing competition might also limit the development of drugs without the dangerous side effects of Ozempic.

Santa Clara, CA The drug maker GSK agreed a few weeks ago to pay up to $2.2 billion to resolve Zantac lawsuits. The blockbuster heartburn drug, which was sold over-the-counter, was removed from the market in 2020 after the FDA ordered all ranitidine (the generic name) products withdrawn, citing unacceptable levels of the chemical N-nitroso dimethylamine (NDMA), a probable human carcinogen. 

Washington, DC Ozempic, a semaglutide, is a medication primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes. It works by mimicking the effects of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which helps regulate blood sugar levels. However, recent studies have revealed a surprising potential benefit: addiction reduction, specifically with reference to alcohol and opioid abuse.