Baldness drug Propecia and enlarged prostate drug Proscar, both manufactured by Merck & Company, will now both carry a new warning linking the two drugs to sexual dysfunction after treatment this according to the Food and Drug Administration.  The warning for Propecia will include a warning regarding libido disorders, ejaculation disorders, and orgasm disorders that continue after discontinuation of the drug.  A revision to the Proscar label will include a warning about decreased libido that

A panel of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that “There was sufficient evidence of gross negligence and willful and wanton misconduct to support imposition of punitive damages,” against Pfizer and units Wyeth and Pharmacia & Upjohn. As a result, Pfizer must pay more than $45 million in damages to Connie Barton and Donna Kendall.  The court noted that while the amount of punitive damages was large, it “correlated with the enormity of the defendants’ wrongs,

William Maisel, deputy director of the FDA Center for Devices, stated “The clinical effectiveness of surgical mesh for transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse has not been demonstrated,” this according to Bloomberg. In response Johnson & Johnson, and other manufactures of vaginal mesh products have agreed to more safety studies as well as further labeling changes to properly inform potential recipients of the true risks and the alleged benefits of vaginal mesh products. Besides Johnson

Once again the issue of how implant devices are selected for insertion into patients is analyzed in a recent New York Times article, Sales Tactics on Implants Raises Doubts.  The article focused on how Biotronick, a manufacturer of pacemakers and defibrillators, created sham medical studies and consultancy arrangements as a means to funnel money to doctors to increase sales of Biotronick medical devices. According to the New York Times article, Biotronick developed financial relationship with

As consumers, we’re led to believe that there is no way that defective drugs could ever be marketed and sold to us.  We have the Big Drug companies, that spend millions (and sometimes billions) of dollars testing new drugs, and the FDA and government that are responsible for ensuring drug safety. When injuries occur from defective drugs, those injured often believe that they are the only one hurt.  They may even first believe that their