Novartis Settles Texas Medicaid Fraud Claim Involving Elidel

November 11, 2012

It was announced on October 30, 2012 by the Texas Attorney General that the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis has agreed to pay $19.9 million to settle a civil Medicaid fraud enforcement action by the State of Texas and the U.S. government that alleged that it illegally marketed  for “of[...]

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Fungal Meningitis Outbreak: More NECC Products Are Suspected

October 16, 2012

The FDA issued a press release on October 15, 2012 regarding the ongoing fungal meningitis outbreak in the United States that is suspected to be associated with contaminated epidural steroid injections manufactured by the New England Compounding Center (“NECC”) since May 21, 2012. The [...]

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Fungal Meningitis Outbreak

October 7, 2012

On October 6, 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that seven people have died as a result of a fungal meningitis outbreak, and 64 people in 9 U.S. states have been diagnosed with fungal meningitis that are linked to the use of contaminated steroid injections (epidu[...]

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Apology From Thalidomide Manufacturer 50 Years Later

September 5, 2012

Thalidomide was introduced in 1953 by the family-owned German pharmaceutical company, Grunenthal, and was used by thousands of women throughout Europe and Canada to treat morning sickness associated with pregnancy during the 1950s. It was available as an over-the-counter drug in Germany beginning [...]

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Can Teething Pain Medication Lead To Death?

June 12, 2012

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns parents that commonly-used over-the-counter medications containing benzocaine for teething babies may lead to a rare but potentially fatal medical condition known as methemoglobinemia, a medical condition where the amount of oxygen carried by the blood[...]

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