New York Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

The Food and Drug Administration recently revealed more than a dozen cases of severe injuries to patient’s livers who used the drug orlistat for a duration of nearly ten years, said a New York Injury Lawyer.
Orlistat, also known as Alli and Xenical, will be changing its label to reflect these new risks, which were uncovered by the FDA’s review, according to New York Injury Lawyers.
The new label will include safety information warning patients that Orlistat will increase their risk for severe liver injury when taken over a period of ten years.
Lawyers clarified that the drug Orlistat does not “cause” liver injury so patients should be told to contact physicians and other health care professionals only if they experience symptoms that may include but are not limited to itchy, yellow eyes or skin, dark urine, light colored stool and/or a loss of appetite. Doctors in Staten Island and Westchester County look for these signs before they treat the illness.
Authorities estimate that nearly 40 million people worldwide have used Alli or Xenical and so far one case of liver injury has been reported in the United States involving Alli and twelve cases of liver injury have been reported in foreign countries involving Xenical.
It is strongly recommended to discontinue use of the drug Orlistat if any of these symptoms should or arise of if liver injury is suspected. Physicians and Healthcare professionals should report any of these findings to the FDA right away.
An Orlistat representative was not available for comment, according to New York City Injury Lawyers.

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A three-week trial’s recent outcome awarded $12.9 million to the husband of a woman with severe jaw damage as a result of taking the drugs Aredia and Zometa.
The total award amount was reduced to $1.26 million due to the state’s laws limiting punitive damages, according to New York Injury Lawyers.
Jurors came to the conclusion that Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., with U.S. headquarters in New Jersey was responsible for the woman’s injuries because they failed to warn the woman effectively about the effects of the drugs. Product Liability is often brought to firms in Long Island and Westchester County.
“The family is pleased the jurors saw the actions for what they were and they’re hoping that Novartis has heard the message,” An attorney in the case said. Another attorney said it “will probably be one of the largest injury awards in the state this year.”
The woman had apparently been taking the drugs for breast cancer had died of osteonecrosis — or bone death — of the jaw, N York Injury Lawyers report. She passed away last year from the breast cancer, according to court filings.
In the lawsuit, the victim’s husband charged that Novartis failed to notify his wife about the drugs’ possible effects fast enough, which stopper her dentists from taking precautionary measures that could have saved her from the jaw damage.
She experienced several dental surgeries and hyperbaric oxygen treatments, according to the lawsuit. In the end these surgeries and procedures poorly affected the quality of her last years of life, according to court reports.
After the woman’s death, her husband continued the case in her honor and as she had requested. “She wanted him to see it through,” his attorney said.

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