Propecia Leads to Persistent Sexual Side Effects in Some Users

By Courtney Coren

Male pattern baldness is one of the dreaded side effects for men as they age. Some men embrace the baldness by beating nature to the punch and shaving it off themselves. Other men fight nature by paying for hair plugs, a procedure that is usually too expensive for most men to afford. And some men simply live in denial and try to use the dreaded comb-over to hide reality.

Pharmaceutical companies have tried to offer alternatives that are neither expensive, drastic, nor embarrassing. But what happens when the cure can be worse than the disease?

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Generic Stevens Johnson Syndrome Case Goes to Supreme Court

By Anne Bucher

In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided that generic drug makers are not responsible for ensuring the safety of the drugs they produce, as long as they follow the brand label. The most recent case, Mutual Pharmaceutical v. Bartlett, asks the justices once again to question the level of legal responsibility that manufacturers of generic drugs have to ensure their products’ safety.

The plaintiff in the case, Karen Bartlett, originally filed the lawsuit against Mutual Pharmaceutical Company alleging that its generic anti-inflammatory drug Sulindac was defective and dangerous. She was initially awarded $21 million in damages for the injuries she suffered after taking the medication in 2004.

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FDA's Pradaxa Safety Conclusion Questioned

By Anne Bucher

Pradaxa is a blood-thinning medication manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH. It is used to treat patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, a common abnormality of the heart rhythm, reducing the risk of stroke.

Report: Bayer Paid Out $1 Billion in Yaz/Yasmin Settlements

By Courtney Coren

According to Bayer’s 2012 Annual Report, the pharmaceutical giant has paid out nearly $1 billion in Yaz and Yasmin lawsuit settlements to about 4,800 claimants and is facing close to 10,000 additional lawsuits filed by victims of blood clot problems caused by the birth control pills as of February 12, 2013.

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Vaginal Mesh Research Finds Risk Indicators for Complications

By Courtney Coren

New research was recently released at the 28th Annual European Association of Urology Congress showing that there are risk indicators for vaginal mesh complications that include age, prior hysterectomies, and the severity of pelvic organ prolapse. The new study could help doctors and their patients in making an informed decision about whether or not a vaginal mesh sling implant is the right treatment for the patient's pelvic organ prolapse.

The study was administered by a Russian medical team that looked at 677 patients from 2006 to 2010 who had received vaginal mesh implants to treat pelvic organ prolapse. Of the 677 patients, 152 patients had vaginal mesh complications during or following surgery.