A recent study suggests that the popular drug Meridia (sibutramine hydrochloride) — used for the management of obesity and weight loss — may have caused a higher number of heart attacks and/or strokes than patients using a placebo pill.

Although, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently reviewing the data collected from the study, the agency has yet to announce any regulatory actions that may be taken as a result.

Meridia, a prescription drug, was first approved by the FDA in 1997, and has since been used to assist in weight loss maintenance in conjunction with a low calorie diet for patients who are extremely obese and may be faced with a number of health risks due to their obesity; including diabetes and high cholesterol levels.

Nearly 10,000 patients took part in the Meridia study. Participants ranged from 55 years and older, were overweight and had a history of heart disease, diabetes and an additional cardiovascular risk factor. Based on study results, it was concluded that Meridia increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and/or a number of cardiovascular conditions that could lead to death.

The FDA has announced that it is expediting the review process due to the severity of this new data and will inform the public of its actions — if any — as soon as possible.

In the meantime, the FDA is asking patients using Meridia to consult their health care provider to determine if continued use is right for them. In addition, the FDA is urging doctors and patients who are using this drug to report any side effects by calling 1(800) 332 – 1088.

The lawyers of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis and Overholtz are Florida’s top attorneys who have tried a number of drug safety cases. Contact the AWKO team at (888) 255 – 2956 to learn more about your rights as a consumer.

More than two million drop-side cribs made by Stork Craft, a crib manufacturer based in Canada, are being recalled due to suffocation danger to infants and toddlers.

The recall comes after a number of deaths and serious injuries have been linked to the drop-side cribs, which have a side that moves up and down and can easily be separated from one or more corners, trapping the child between the mattress and the side railing. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 110 incidents have occurred in the United States and Canada, resulting in the death of four babies between six and nine months old. Another 20 babies have fallen from their cribs after the drop-side detached completely.

The defect is being blamed on faulty hardware manufactured by Stork Craft, and assembly mistakes by the crib owners.

Parents are being urged to immediately stop using the drop-side cribs and contact Stork Craft to receive a free repair kit that will help convert the drop-side to a fixed side.

The recall involves more than one million cribs in the United States and another million in Canada. Stork Craft Cribs, manufactured for more than 15 years, is one of the most popular brand names in baby cribs, sold by some of the country’s biggest retailers.

In the wake of the massive crib recall, the CPSC is now considering banning all cribs that have a drop-side. However, this is not the first recall of baby cribs; another five million have been recalled over the past two years, about half a million of which also were manufactured by Stork Craft.

The lawyers of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis and Overholtz are experienced personal injury attorneys adept at trying cases stemming from manufacturer neglect and product defect. Contact the AWKO team at (888) 255 – 2956 to learn more about your rights as a consumer.

For additional information, please visit the CPSC website.

Avandia litigation is expected to reach thousands more following crucial information indicating that the popular diabetes drug is twice as likely to lead to heart failure in diabetes patients.

Attorney Bryan Aylstock, co-lead counsel in the In re: Avandia MDL nationwide litigation, has recently come back from Philadelphia where he has participated in the depositions of individuals who were significant figures within the scientific and regulatory departments at GlaxoSmithKline during the pre-approval and post-approval and marketing of the diabetes drug Avandia. Additionally, depositions were taken of other top figures at Glaxo in London, England. As a result of these depositions and Mr. Aylstock’s team of document analysts who have assisted in the review of information turned over to the plaintiff’s discovery committee, the Avandia litigation is appearing to mimick the Vioxx experience more and more. Merck’s Vioxx was under fire for causing heart attacks and strokes. Studies have shown an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and congestive heart failure in patients taking Avandia. The Vioxx litigation resulted in a settlement that was reported to be approximately $4.8 Billion Dollars.

A study published in the November 2009 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that women who take certain types of antibiotics during their pregnancy experienced higher rates of birth defects.

Pregnant women who took nitrofurantoins or sulfonamides demonstrated an increased instance of birth defects, including malformations of the skull or brain, cleft lips and palates, eye defects, and several congenital heart defects. Commonly used antibiotics, like Penicillin, erythromycin, cephalosporins and quinolones, were found safe for use during pregnancy.

Although further research is still being conducted on the link between antibiotics and birth defects, pregnant women are advised to monitor their use of nitrofurantoins and sulfonamides, typically used to treat urinary tract and other infections.

Brand names of nitrofurantoins include Furadantin, Macrobid and Macrodantin; sulfonamides are marketed under the brand names of Bactrim and Septra.

If you have taken one of the aforementioned antibiotics during pregnancy and your child has experienced subsequent birth defects, you should speak with the skilled Florida personal injury attorneys of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis and Overholtz. They have years of experience filing claims against those responsible for personal injury and can recover compensation for victims. To learn more about filing a pregnancy antibiotics lawsuit, contact AWKO Law at (888) 255-2956.