Vioxx Search Engine Blog

Lawsuit filed against makers of drug Avandia
Lufkin Daily News - Lufkin,TX,USA
By SANDRA CASON MARSHALL -- A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in federal court here against the manufacturer of Avandia, a diabetes treatment drug ...

Patients taking Avandia should consult doctor
Therapeutics Daily (subscription) (press release) - Newtown,PA,USA
As I promised readers, here's an update on Avandia. The drug has been at the epicenter of controversy since findings from a recent meta-analysis suggested ...

Avandia Fight: Drs. Nissen And Home "Battle" Over Drug
CNBC - Englewood Cliffs,NJ,USA
(%) ] sponsored study that, so far, supports Avandia's safety. Because of the predicament the conflicting reports have put doctors in, the ADA added this ...

In Defense Of Home Remedies To Treat Ailments
Hartford Courant - United States
Vioxx for arthritis and Avandia for diabetes have both reinforced the fear that long-term side effects may not show up for years. Vioxx increased the risk ...

Congress Debates Avandia's Safety, Researchers' Motives and FDA Role
U.S. Medicine - Washington,DC,USA
By Stephen Spotswood WASHINGTON-Whether Avandia, the GlaxoSmithKline's blockbuster diabetes drug, raises the risk of heart attacks while it lowers blood ...

Understand How Recent Safety Concerns Will Affect PPAR-Gamma Agonists
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USA
Sales of the two PPAR-gamma agonists, GlaxoSmithKline's Avandia and Takeda's Actos, are significant drivers of type 2 diabetes market sales. ...

What do all the studies on diabetes drug Avandia really mean?
Nature.com (subscription) - London,England,UK
In this case Steve Nissen, who published the analysis on Avandia, pooled information from 42 randomized trials (N. Engl. J. Med. 356, 2457-2471; 2007). ...

Avandia Story Heats Up
dLife.com - Westport,CT,USA
By Daniel Trecroci It seems every week there is a new twist to the Avandia(r) plot that makes it more and more of a soap opera--as the TZDs turn! ...

Avandia - What You Should Know
dLife.com - Westport,CT,USA
If you are taking Avandia as part of your diabetes treatment - or are considering it - you've probably been glued to news surrounding the potential ...

Glaxo's Avandia in spotlight at diabetes meet
Reuters.uk - UK
By Kim Dixon CHICAGO (Reuters) - Controversy over the popular diabetes pill Avandia is taking centre stage among the world's experts on the disease on ...

Conflict of interest?
Chemistry World - London,UK
Panic-stricken headlines about Avandia have damaged the FDA's reputation once again. This time it was quick to respond and a safety alert about the drug ...

Avandia Sales Drop
InjuryBoard.com - Tampa,FL,USA
By Greg Owen Sales of Avandia, the drug developed to aid diabetes patients, have dropped by approximately 10% since The New England Journal of Medicine ...

Glaxo plays down new study on Avandia bone risk
Reuters.uk - UK
LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) - A new small clinical study suggests diabetes drug Avandia could lead to bone fractures in men as well as women, ...

The right diet could change lives for diabetics
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
By Caroline Trapp Larry Alan Stanford died of a heart attack May 21 - the very same day that a study came out revealing that Avandia, a diabetes drug he had ...

# posted by (hris @ 11:54 AM 0 comments

Anapol Schwartz Weiss Cohan Feldman & Smalley announce that the Firm has filed four lawsuits against Merck for osteonecrosis of the jaw caused by Fosamax.

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) July 26, 2007 -- The Philadelphia law firm of Anapol Schwartz Weiss Cohan Feldman & Smalley has filed four lawsuits against Merck in NJ Superior Court, Middlesex County, New Brunswick NJ against the manufacturer of Fosamax (see: Stroup v. Merck - L-5869-07; Mahuron v. Merck - L-5863-07; Metcalf v. Merck - L-5836-07; & Sambrano v. Merck - L-5867-07). Fosamax is one of a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, which have been found to cause osteonecrosis of the jaw ("ONJ") or jaw bone death (See: Osteonecrosis of the Jaw and Bisphosphonates, N Engl J Med 2005;353(25):2728). Osteonecrosis of the jaw is a disabling and disfiguring jawbone condition that suffers literal death of the jaw or rotting of the jaw. ONJ is manifested by exposed jaw bone, rotting jaw bone, jaw bone fractures, gum lesions, severe jaw pain, loose teeth, and secondary infections.

The allegations include that Merck & Co., Inc. ("Merck"), a New Jersey corporation, was engaged in the business of testing, developing, manufacturing, distributing, licensing, labeling, and marketing the drug Fosamax. The compound used in Fosamax, called alendronate, was approved by the FDA in 1995 for the treatment of osteoporosis and Paget's disease. Fosamax is a bisphosphonate drug, with sales peaking in excess of $3 billion per year.

One of the plaintiffs' Fosamax Lawyers in these cases said that plaintiffs have a strong case. Tracy Finken, Esq. explains, "Medical articles and studies appeared in the 1990's and 2000's reporting the frequent and common occurrence of osteonecrosis of the jaw of chemotherapy patients using nitrogenous bisphosphonates. Based on this information, and based on adverse event reports that Merck and the FDA received, Merck should have known, with their heightened knowledge and experience, that bisphosphonates inhibit vascularization of the jaw bones, leading to the ONJ disease."

According to Attorney Finken, "we have already identified thirty more lawsuits we expect to file." Litigation is nothing new to Merck, as Ms. Finken points out, "Merck is the same company facing many lawsuits involving its pain reliever, Vioxx."

There is already consolidated litigation in Federal Court -- Multi-District Litigation (MDL-1789) -- in regards to Fosamax. This means that the Federal Courts have identified so many Fosamax cases that they have consolidated these cases for the purposes of discovery. This will allow a team of attorneys (a plaintiffs' steering committee) appointed by the court to conduct discovery (depositions, interrogatories, requests for documents, requests for admissions) on behalf of many plaintiffs. Upon the completion of discovery, the cases can then proceed individually on their merits.

Attorney Finken indicated that "it is likely that there will be similar consolidation of Fosamax lawsuits in State Court in New Jersey so that plaintiffs suing Merck in New Jersey will have a common work product produced for the purposes of discovery."

Tracey A. Finken, Esquire
Ms. Finken is a civil trial attorney known for her ability to present each case in such a way that brings out her clients' unique situation. In 2002, Ms. Finken was recognized as one of the "40 on the Fast Track", a listing of the top 40 young attorneys in the State of Pennsylvania by the Legal Intelligencer. Ms. Finken was also named a Pennsylvania "Rising Star Super Lawyer" in the December 2005 and 2006 editions of Philadelphia magazine which recognizes the top 2.5 percent of attorneys 40 years old or younger in the state of Pennsylvania. Ms. Finken concentrates on class actions, pharmaceutical liability, medical and other professional malpractice, products liability, and other complex civil litigation.

SOURCE: Anapol Schwartz, Weiss, Cohan, Feldman and Smalley, P.C. CONTACT: Anapol Schwartz, Tracey Finken, 215-735-1130.

About Anapol Schwartz P.C. Since 1977 Anapol Schwartz has been of the nation's preeminent law firms known for landmark verdicts and settlements and for providing clients with the highest level of personalized legal services. Eleven of Anapol Schwartz's lawyers have received jury verdicts in excess of $1 million. The firm focuses on maintaining its tradition of excellence in personal injury, medical malpractice, pharmaceutical, toxic tort, class actions, construction site accidents, products liability, automobile litigation, security/investment fraud, and employment litigation.

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Press Contact: TRACY FINKEN
Company Name: Anapol Schwartz Weiss Cohan Feldman & Smalley
Phone: 215-735-1130
Website: http://www.anapolschwartz.com/practices/fosamax/index.shtml

# posted by (hris @ 7:40 AM 0 comments

RxHub Fully Supports New Study Findings Indicating That E-Prescribing can Reduce Medication Errors and Generate Up to $29 Billion in Savings

July 12, 2007 - ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RxHub® today commended the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) for its foresight and leadership in commissioning a comprehensive study of the costs and benefits of electronic prescribing to the Nation's health care system.

The study found that widespread adoption of ePrescribing could save the federal government $29 billion and prevent nearly 2 million medication errors over the next decade if physicians were required to use the technology in caring for Medicare beneficiaries. Currently, fewer than 10 percent of physicians are estimated to be using electronic prescribing, which ultimately denies patients, providers, and the American taxpayers of the significant safety benefits and cost savings that result from ePrescribing adoption. Study details are on the PCMA website, www.pcmanet.org.

"This study further substantiates the necessity to provide physicians with immediate access to patient medication histories, preferred drug options, and pharmacy choices so that they can better counsel patients on safe and affordable choices before prescriptions are electronically transmitted to the pharmacy," stated JP Little, Chief Operating Officer for RxHub. "The study indicated that approximately 70% of the safety and savings advantages of ePrescribing result from this information being provided to the physician at the point of care."

RxHub - operating the RxHub National Patient Health Information NetworkT - has access to medication-related information for more than 160 million patients in the United States through certified connections to contracted Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and payers. Access to this information is only granted to authorized physicians utilizing RxHub certified technology applications and is only available for patients who provide consent. The secure RxHub infrastructure has processed more than 30 million requests for patient eligibility, benefits, formulary and medication history information so far this year. Although this volume is significantly higher than the volume processed through RxHub during the same time last year, it still only represents a fraction of patient visits that could benefit from providing physicians with patient specific pharmacy information before prescriptions are written.

"The growth in ePrescribing transactions through RxHub is due to the early adopters of ePrescribing technology," noted COO Little. "RxHub is ready to facilitate and process an increased volume of ePrescribing transactions nationwide."

RxHub was founded in 2001 by the three largest Pharmacy Benefit Managers - CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and Medco Health Solutions, Inc. - to establish a national ePrescribing solution that connects authorized physicians with critical patient information at the point of care and enables prescriptions to be electronically routed to retail and mail order pharmacies in real-time. In the past year 12 additional PBMs and Payers, representing over 50 million additional lives, have contracted with RxHub to provide physicians and pharmacists with access to pharmacy information for consenting patients. With the addition of these new lives, RxHub will have the ability to provide vital patient-specific information for over 200 million Americans. This represents over 90% of the commercially covered lives in the United States, establishing the RxHub National Patient Health Information NetworkT as the largest in the country.

On a national basis, RxHub is participating in a number of ePrescribing initiatives including the two programs highlighted in the PCMA report - one in Massachusetts and one in South East Michigan (SEMI). In addition, RxHub is an advisor to ePrescribe Florida and is an active participant in ePrescribing initiatives within Illinois, New Jersey and North Carolina as well as others.

About RxHub LLC

RxHub® (www.rxhub.net) manages the RxHub National Patient Health Information NetworkT which electronically routes up-to-date patient-specific medication history and pharmacy benefit information to caregivers at every point of care. Our end-to-end solution enables physicians to prescribe the most clinically appropriate and cost effective prescription and send it electronically to the patient's pharmacy of choice. Operating as a cost recovery business model, RxHub partners with stakeholders in the prescribing industry to improve patient safety, increase workflow efficiency and reduce the overall cost of health care delivery. For more information on RxHub Certified Partners, please visit: http://www.rxhub.net/partners.html.

Contacts

RxHub, LLC
Media Contact:
Chris Van Horrick, 651-855-3078
Chris.vanhorrick@rxhub.net

# posted by (hris @ 3:25 PM 0 comments

LegalView.com is pleased to continue bringing its readers important news about Avandia in the aftermath of a recent lawsuit filed by the family of an Avandia patient. LegalView.com also has an extensive collection of resources related to Avandia and other important, relevant legal issues.

Denver, CO (PRWEB) July 4, 2007 -- In the wake of one of the nation's first lawsuits related to diabetes drug Avandia (filed in US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Case No. 207CV254), LegalView.com is pleased to remind readers that a complete -- and completely free -- collection of news and information on the drug is available 24 hours a day at avandia.legalview.com.

Avandia is a medication prescribed to control Type 2 diabetes. It came under fire this spring when the New England Journal of Medicine published a study showing that using the drug increased patients' risk of heart attacks by up to an alarming 43 percent. The study also showed that the subjects' risk of death from a cardiac incident was increased by up to 64 percent. In response, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline to place a "black box" warning on the drug's label. This represents the most serious warning that the FDA can require. As the web's most complete resource for the legal issues that affect Americans, LegalView.com is following the issue closely at its Avandia side effects information portal and related Avandia blog.

While an increased risk of heart attack represents a serious danger to the sufferer of any illness, it is especially devastating for diabetes patients, who already run an increased risk of heart disease. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), heart disease or stroke (which has its roots in vascular problems) will be the cause of death for two out of three diabetics, statistically speaking. Visitors looking for this and other factual information on the drug can find it at the Avandia blog, which tracks news and research information as it appears. A recent post discusses the Avandia lawsuit filed in late June in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Case No. 207CV254), by the family of Larry Alan Stafford, who died May 21, 2007 of a heart attack at age 60 -- and had been taking a drug that contained Avandia as one of it components. From there, visitors can move to LegalView.com's free Avandia portal, intended as a complete resource for Avandia patients and their loved ones. The portal collects LegalView.com's original articles on Avandia, news feeds and government announcements on the drug, a glossary of scientific terms related to Avandia, and legal information for concerned patients. In addition, visitors who may want information on finding their own Avandia attorney can take advantage of LegalView.com's attorney referral service, which is confidential, nationwide and always completely free.

The Avandia portal is just part of LegalView.com's extensive collections of factual information on the web about legal issues relevant to Americans. In fact, LegalView.com has built many portals on hot-button legal issues that include original articles, blogs, news feeds, glossaries of unfamiliar scientific or legal terms, jury verdicts and settlements, encyclopedia entries and much more. Some of these portals discuss issues such as the AMO Complete Moisture Plus recall, with information on the possibly tainted contact lens solution; finding a truck accident lawyer, for those who may need legal advice regarding a truck accident; or resources for contacting traumatic brain injury attorneys, who can help obtain compensation for brain-damaged and sometimes permanently disabled individuals. These information portals exist in addition to LegalView.com's wide collection of fast facts and original articles on other important legal topics such as unsafe drugs, defective consumer products, occupational chemical exposure, and recalled or tainted foods. Those who are ready to seek an attorney for these or any other issue can use LegalView.com's free, nationwide attorney referral search to help them find an attorney in their area.

LegalView.com is a free public service put together by Legal WebTV Network, LLC, a Limited Liability Corporation created by a group of distinguished law firms from around the United States: Anapol Schwartz; Brent Coon and Associates; Burg Simpson; Cohen, Placitella and Roth; James F. Humphhreys and Associates; Lopez McHugh; and Thornton and Naumes. For more information on LegalView.com's distinguised law firm sponsors and their accomplishments, or to get in touch with LegalView.com's accomplished member attorneys, visit LegalView.com at www.legalview.com.

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Press Contact: Alan Haburchak
Company Name: LegalView.com
Phone: 720-226-6613
Website: http://www.legalview.com

# posted by (hris @ 9:42 AM 0 comments

A group of premium Canadian domain names has recently been put on sale, including a rare 3-letter word domain. This is the first time that such exclusive health-related domain names have become available.

Toronto, ON (PRWEB) July 2, 2007 -- A group of premium Canadian domain names has recently been put on sale. They are: Hospital.ca, Hopital.ca (French translation of "hospital"), Telemedicine.ca, and Eye.ca. This is the first time that such exclusive health-related domain names have become available.

Health care has repeatedly ranked as the top priority for Canadians and excellence in medicine is one of the hallmarks of the Canadian identity. It is therefore no surprise that these health-focused domain name listings have generated a great deal of excitement in Canada.

Like good locations in real estate, single-word domain names are a scarce and desirable commodity. All the words in the dictionary have long been registered and it's very rare to see any single-word domain name with broad commercial appeal become available. Some .CA domain names representing smaller niche markets (e.g., cruise trips, or computer parts) have recently sold in the $20,000 - $40,000 ($CDN) range. It is anticipated that these premium health domains will be bid up even higher.

Hospital.ca, Hopital.ca, Telemedicine.ca and Eye.ca are currently available for sale by their respective owners on our domain name exchange and escrow platform. Interested parties are directed to visit the bidding pages for each of the domains, for example: http://www.sedo.com/search/details.php4?domain=telemedicine.ca.

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Press Contact: Maria Berdugo
Company Name: Sedo.com, LLC
Phone: +49 (221) 340 30 235
Website: http://www.sedo.com

# posted by (hris @ 10:07 AM 0 comments

AdvancedMD launches a Web video campaign promoting its industry leading medical billing and electronic medical record software. The campaign features three humorous video clips depicting a few potential pitfalls related to server-based medical billing applications.

Salt Lake City, UT (PRWEB) July 1, 2007 -- AdvancedMD, the leading provider of Web-based practice management solutions for physician offices and medical billing services, launches a Web video campaign promoting its industry leading medical billing and electronic medical record (EMR) software. The campaign features three humorous video clips depicting a few potential pitfalls related to older server-based medical billing applications.

"We're excited to launch this new video campaign to our prospects," said Lane Peterson, Vice President of Marketing for AdvancedMD. "These videos not only align with the personality of AdvancedMD as a company, but also AdvancedMD's dedication to utilizing the best technologies available in our products and services as well as our promotional efforts."

AdvancedMD offers unparalleled data security and availability through its unique Web-based medical practice management suite. Physicians and medical billing businesses using AdvancedMD enjoy free live technical support, free unlimited data backups and free software updates.

To view the videos visit www.advancedmd.com/movie/default.asp.

About AdvancedMD Software:
AdvancedMD Software, Inc., headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the leader in Web-based practice management and medical billing software. AdvancedMD Software brings to market AdvancedMD, a full-featured medical billing and scheduling solution and AdvancedEMR, a flexible electronic medical records management system. AdvancedMD solutions include free technical support, world-class security, and fully HIPAA compliant accessibility. AdvancedMD maintains a 98% customer retention rate and serves thousands of providers nationwide. For more information please visit www.advancedmd.com.

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Press Contact: Lane Peterson
Company Name: AdvancedMD
Phone: 800-825-0224
Website: http://www.advancedmd.com

# posted by (hris @ 8:25 AM 0 comments