Author: Ring of Fire Staff

By Virginia Buchanan November 5th, 2012  8:30am Patients who were struck by fungal meningitis after being injected with contaminated epidural injections now face another serious health risk.   A number of patients have now been diagnosed with epidural abscess.  The abscess is an infection of the epidural space of the spine.  An untreated abscess can cause devastating illness and even death. The medications used to treat the meningitis do not prevent epidural abscess, as the medications used to treat the meningitis treat the systemic illness, while the spinal abscess is a localized infection at the epidural space.  Some patients have even developed...

By Farron Cousins keystone auto insurance October 31st, 2012  3:00pm In November 2011, John Keenan, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York, presiding judge of Multi-District Litigation No. 1789, In re Fosamax Products Liability Litigation, ordered Defendant Merck & Co. and the Plaintiffs Steering Committee to commence settlement talks.  Judge Keenan appointed Fordham Law School Dean Emeritus John Feerick to serve as the Special Settlement Master pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 53(a).  Judge Keenan directed the Special Settlement Master to engage in efforts to resolve the 1,500+ cases involving Fosamax-induced osteonecrosis of the...

By M. Robert Blanchard auto owners life insurance October 31st, 2012  8:00am The FDA announced yesterday a Class 1 recall of a touchscreen used in medical care. Attached to the Symbiq medication pump, the touchscreen may have a delayed response or may enter data different from that intended by the user. The pump is used for multiple types of therapies across the medical field and the mis-administration of pharmaceutical products to a patient could result in injury or death. The company known as Hospira has agreed to a voluntary nationwide recall. This recall may signal coming problems with the...

By Virginia Buchanan October 30th, 2012  12:00pm The Florida Department of Health has suspended the license of Boca Raton compounding pharmacy Rejuvi Pharmaceuticals.  When completing a routine inspection,  health officials found substantial violations of Florida’s rules regulating compounding pharmacies.  This follows on the heels of 354 reported cases of fungal meningitis, 10 resulting in death, which originated from contamination of injectables from a Massachusetts compounding company.   The Florida violations involved violations of laws and rules which address the cleanliness of the prescription department, dispensing of medication, compounding of medications and record keeping.  This is not the first time...

By Cameron Stephenson October 28th, 2012  9:00am The Missouri Supreme Court has now, finally reached a decision on a landmark issue which is presently being considered by many other courts across the country.  Are statutory non-economic damage caps in medical malpractice cases constitutional?  The Missouri Supreme Court’s answer?  ABSOLUTELY NOT! In 2005, the Republican majority Missouri Legislature, following countless lobbying efforts and heavy pressure from the healthcare industry, passed and enacted statutory caps in medical malpractice cases for non-economic damage awards, such as those for mental pain and suffering.  How did this legislation affect the injured patients of the...