Australian courts rule that Vioxx should never have been approved for sale

(NaturalNews) Australian courts recently ruled that Vioxx, a popular prescription painkiller, should never have been approved and allowed on the market. The case represents the world’s first successful class action lawsuit against a drug company for damage caused by its drugs. Merck, the drug giant that produced Vioxx, was deemed by the courts as negligent for failing to properly inform doctors who were prescribing the drug about the dangers and health risks associated with the drug. As a result, thousands of patients around the world have suffered severe injury or death because of Vioxx. Graeme Peterson, a 59-year-old man represented in the case, was awarded the equivalent of about $266,000 for injuries inflicted upon him by Vioxx. He suffered a heart attack from the drug in 2003 that has left him unable to work since. He took the drug for more than four years, and still keeps a Vioxx tablet with him as a reminder of what almost killed him. Though great for Australians, injured patients in the U.K. have not had the same success. Norman Lamb, a member of the British Parliament, explained that he and others have been trying to convince Merck for years that it should compensate the many British citizens who were injured by the drug. But Merck continues to deny liability and the British government has failed to successfully negotiate a settlement. “Ministers made promising noises then after a meeting between the Government and the company they weakened their position. I believe that the ministers came under pressure from the company and their own civil servants to shut up,” explained Lamb in a U.K. article. Unfortunately, this is typically the case with most drug company lawsuits. The Australian case is a landmark victory that should typify how class action lawsuits against drug companies are handled and hopefully a similar victory will one day be achieved for the many British cases of Vioxx injuries. One such case involves Raymond Eaton, whose wife died from heart problems that were likely caused by Vioxx. Mrs. Eaton, who had been suffering from a severely debilitating form of rheumatoid arthritis, was immediately prescribed Vioxx upon its release. The drug helped her pain, but four years later, she suffered a coronary from which she never recovered. Since she never had any heart problems prior to taking Vioxx, Raymond is convinced that the drug was responsible. Over 80 million people around the world were taking Vioxx prior to its being pulled from the market, and many lawyers from other countries have been awaiting the outcome of the Australian litigation. The success of the case established a precedence for Merck’s liability due to negligence, providing a way for the thousands, if not millions, of injured patients around the world to receive restitution for damages caused by Vioxx. Sources for this story include: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/vioxx-ruling-gives-hope-for-payouts-to-british-lsquovictimsrsquo-1917042.html

A Understanding regarding Heart Disease

Cardiovascular system sickness is among the leading will cause of death in most created countries close to the globe, plus the number of conditions is rising continuously being a result of equally contemporary lifestyles and increased general longevity. Though creating the situation can have a devastating impact around the sufferer’s living, contemporary medicine has created [...]

Prostate cancer drug boosts heart disease risk

(NaturalNews) A common prostate cancer treatment may significantly increase men’s risk of heart problems, according to a study conducted by researchers from King’s College London and presented at a joint meeting of the European Cancer Organization and the European Society for Medical Oncology in Berlin. “What we can do with these results is to raise a flag with hormone treatments,” lead researcher Mieke Van Hemelrijck said. Researchers compared the rates of heart problems — from chest pain to heart attacks and death — among more than 30,000 Swedish men who had received hormone therapy for prostate cancer between 1997 and 2006 with the rates among the Swedish population as a whole. They found that prostate cancer patients treated with hormones were 21 percent more likely to die from heart disease, 28 percent more likely to die from a heart attack, and also significantly more likely to suffer from other heart problems. The researchers concluded that for every 1,000 men receiving hormone treatments, 10 would suffer a heart problem as a result. Prior research has shown that prostate cancer patients with a history of heart disease are placed at higher risk of dying when treated with hormones. Researchers do not know exactly why the hormone therapy places the heart at risk, but they believe that it may disrupt the effects of testosterone, which is thought to help protect the heart. Hormone therapies for prostate cancer are already known to lead to severe side effects such as impotence and incontinence. In part because of these side effects, the medical establishment is becoming increasingly skeptical of pursuing aggressive treatment for all prostate cancer patients. Although prostate cancer is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death among men, many prostate tumors are slow-growing, do not spread through the body, and pose no threat to patients. Approximately 600,000 men in the United States receive hormone treatments for prostate cancer every year. Sources for this story include: www.msnbc.msn.com.

Testicular Cancer Treatments Worse than the Disease

(NaturalNews) Large numbers of men who undergo treatment for testicular cancer suffer serious and long-term side effects or illness, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Oslo and published in the journal BJUI . In the past, the rate of long-term side effects has not been well known because doctors are only required to report side effects that require medical intervention or threaten the patient’s life. “Current patients with testicular cancer should be informed about the risk of short-term and particularly long-term side-effects of their highly effective treatment” lead author Sophie D. Fossa said. “It is important to focus on reducing risks through healthy lifestyle choices and consider important issues like preserving future fertility.” Reviewing 40 studies published between 1990 and 2008, the researchers found that a full 30 percent of patients undergoing cisplatin-based chemotherapy may suffer from damage to their sensory nerves, while 20 percent of testicular cancer survivors suffer from hearing loss or ringing in their ears. The rate of chronic fatigue in survivors is 17 percent, which is twice as high as in the general population. As many as 25 percent of survivors suffer long-term damage to their circulatory systems. Testicular cancer survivors also have 1.8 times the general risk of developing another form of cancer. “Gastrointestinal side-effects are common during both chemotherapy and radiotherapy and chemotherapy carries added risks like infections and blood clots,” Fossa said. “Long-term problems include secondary cancers, heart problems, and conditions related to lower hormone levels.” Testicular cancer treatments increase a man’s risk of pulmonary complications, death from heart complications, fertility reduction and dry ejaculation. The best way to reduce the risk of dangerous side effects, Fossa said, is to maintain an active lifestyle and healthy weight, avoid tobacco, and for doctors to “provide adequate follow-up for patients who could develop life-threatening toxicity.” Although side effects of cancer treatment can pose serious risks throughout a person’s lifetime, most patients receive only five to 10 years of follow-up care, at most. Sources for this story include: www.eurekalert.org.