Texas Lawyers Blog

Description

The Texas Lawyers Blog provides useful information on the law and Texas lawyers. For more information on this Blog or a legal topic, please feel free to submit an inquiry or send an e-mail message to blog@texaslawyers.com

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Pancreatic Cancer and Diabetes Drugs: Large Profits Encourage Drug Companies To Sell Dangerous Diabetes Drugs by Pancreatic Cancer Diabetes Drug Lawyer

Pancreatic Cancer and Diabetes Drugs: The Diabetes Drug Market is Over $40 Billion Each Year and Growing Rapidly Encouraging Drug Companies To Push Dangerous Diabetes Drugs To Increase Profits by Pancreatic Cancer Diabetes Drug Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

More than 300 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes, including about 30 million Americans.  In 2010, the global prevalence of diabetes was estimated to have reached 285 million and is predicted to reach 438 million by 2030. The corresponding figures for North America were 37.4 million in 2010 and 53.2 million by 2030 and in Europe 55.2 million in 2010 and 66.2 million in 2030.  The global market for products in the management of diabetes currently stands at $41 billion and is on pace to grow to over $114 billion by 2018. As such, several drug companies are pushing hard to capture a large part of the profitable diabetes drug market regardless as to the safety of their drug.

Pancreatic Cancer and Diabetes Drugs: Several Different Types of Diabetes Drugs Have Been Shown To Cause An Increased Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

Recent scientific studies have shown that several diabetes drugs may cause an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.  People that are taking Onglyza, Tradjenta, Bydureon, Oseni, Byetta, Victoza, Januvia, or Janumet should be aware of the potential dangers of these drugs and should discuss the potential dangers of these drugs with their physician.  

If you have lost a loved one from Pancreatic Cancer who was taking a diabetes drug or you have been taking a diabetes drug and have been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, please report the adverse action to the prescribing medical doctor and FDA as soon as possible.  Attorneys are in the process of filing and reviewing lawsuits where a person has developed pancreatic cancer after taking Onglyza, Tradjenta, Bydureon, Oseni, Byetta, Victoza, Januvia, and/or Janumet. For more information on this topic, please feel free to contact Diabetic Drug Pancreatic Cancer Lawyer, Jason S. Coomer or go to the following webpage: Pancreatic Cancer Lawsuit Information.

Pancreatic Cancer Detection: Understanding and Identifying Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer Can Be Important In Early Detection and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer Resulting in Higher Pancreatic Cancer Survival Rates

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer can include: dark urine and clay-colored stools, fatigue and weakness, jaundice (a yellow color in the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes), loss of appetite and weight loss, nausea and vomiting, pain or discomfort in the upper part of the belly or abdomen, back pain, blood clots, diarrhea, and indigestion.

Pancreatic cancer is often not detected early on and is often advanced when it is first found.  As such, ninety-five percent of the people diagnosed with this cancer will not be alive 5 years later.  Some patients have pancreatic cancer that can be surgically removed are cured. However, in more than 80% of patients the tumor has already spread and cannot be completely removed at the time of diagnosis.  In the few cases where pancreatic tumors can be removed by surgery. The standard surgical procedure to remove pancreatic tumors is called a Whipple procedure (pancreatoduodenectomy or pancreaticoduodenectomy). This surgery should be done by an experienced surgeon and at a medical center that performs the procedure often. Some studies suggest that the Whipple procedure is best performed at hospitals that do more than five of these surgeries per year.

When the tumor has not spread out of the pancreas, but cannot be removed, radiation therapy and chemotherapy together may be recommended. When the tumor has spread (metastasized) to other organs such as the liver, chemotherapy alone is usually used. The standard chemotherapy drug is gemcitabine, but other drugs may be used. Gemcitabine can help about 25% of patients.

Patients whose tumor cannot be totally removed, but who have a blockage of the tubes that transport bile (biliary obstruction) must have that blockage relieved. There are two approaches including surgery and placement of a tiny metal tube (biliary stent) during ERCP.

Managing pain and other symptoms is an important part of treating advanced pancreatic cancer. Palliative care tams and hospice can help with pain and symptom management, and provide psychological support for patients and their families during the illness.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Texas Real Estate Partitions Are Often Needed When Families Inherit Real Property by Texas Real Estate Partition Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Texas Real Estate Partitions Are Often Needed When Families Inherit Real Property by Texas Real Estate Partition Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Texas Real Estate Partitions are often needed when heirs, family members, and beneficiaries inherit Texas real estate and want to partition or divide the inherited real estate.  A Texas real partition lawsuit can force the division or sale of inherited real estate including: commercial buildings, farms, mineral interests, lake houses, ranches, condominiums, houses, or commercial property.  
 
For information on Texas Inheritance Real Estate Partition Lawsuits or Texas Probate Real Estate Forced Sale Lawsuits, please feel free to go to the follow webpage: Texas Real Estate Partition Lawsuit Information or please send an e-mail message to Texas Real Estate Partition Attorney Jason S. Coomer.  

What is a Texas Real Estate Partition (Partition in Kind v. Partition by Sale)
 
In simple terms a Texas real estate partition divides Texas real estate interests.  When real estate is a large tract of land and owned by several different owners, a partition may be done as a partition in kind by dividing the land into sections so each owner ends up with a separate, but equal portion of the real estate.  This partition process can be simple or complex depending on several factors including the type of real property that is being divided and the determination of the owners to litigate.  The goal in a partition is to make sure that the division or partition is fair among the owners.  

However, when the real estate is a house, building, or other unique real estate a partition may be impractical or impossible.  Some real property just cannot be divided by the owners including a house or building.  In dealing with such unique property, the partition may need to be a partition by sale.  A partition in kind is a division of the property itself, whereas partition by sale constitutes a forced sale of the land, followed by division of the profits thus realized among the owners of the real estate.  A common example of the partition by sale occurs when more than one person inherits a house or building.

When Does a Texas Real Estate Partition Lawsuit Typically Occur?
 
Texas real estate partition lawsuits commonly occur after heirs or beneficiaries inherit a house or other real estate.  In this situation, it is common for the heirs or beneficiaries to not be able to agree to whether to keep or sell the property.  In some instances all or some of the heirs or beneficiaries live out of state, or have their own homes and have no need for another house or additional real estate.  In other instances some of the heir or beneficiaries need cash and want to sell their interest.  In still other situations, one or more of the heirs or beneficiaries do not want to sell a family house or family real property, but cannot afford to purchase the other heir's interest in the house or other property.  In many of these situations, a real estate partition by sale may be necessary to sell or divide the inherited property. 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Defective Spinal Stimulators: Medtronic Stimulators and Boston Scientific Stimulators May Malfunction by Defective Spinal Stimulator Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Defective Spinal Stimulators: Implantable Neurostimulation Systems Including Medtronic Spinal Stimulators and Boston Scientific Spinal Stimulators May Malfunction Requiring Removal or Replacement of the Device by Defective Spinal Stimulator Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Defective Implantable Neurostimulation Systems have caused many people to suffer severe shocks, severe pain, and other significant health problems. Persons with or thinking about receiving a Boston Scientific spinal stimulator or Medtronic stimulator should speak with their health care provider about the potential health risks of having a spinal stimulator implanted in them as well as make sure that the device is being used for an FDA approved indication.

Persons that have experienced malfunctioning batteries and other problems with an implanted spinal stimulator, should consult their health care provider and make sure that any adverse health events from the implanted spinal stimulator are reported to the FDA. For more information on defective spinal stimulator lawsuits, please go to the following web page: Defective Implantable Neurostimulation  System Lawsuit Information or use our submission form to send an inquiry to Defective Spinal Stimulator Lawyer Jason Coomer.

FDA Action on Spinal Stimulators

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) issues warning letters when it finds certain problems that it wants a company to fix.  In a letter dated July 17, 2012, the FDA issued a warning letter related to Medtronic’s process for handling complaints and stated that regulatory action might ensue should the manufacturer fail to address the agency’s request to take action.

The FDA is seeking information from persons that have experienced the following symptoms from stimulators:
  • Severe irritation and  burning at the battery site
  • An inability to control the stimulator (resulting in unwelcome jolts, pain, or temporary paralysis)
  • Severe burns while recharging the battery
  • Premature battery depletion
  • Bladder problems
  • Increased numbness
  • Lead migration and broken anchors
  • Partial paralysis
Removal of Defective Spinal Stimulators May Be The Basis for a Lawsuit 

In most cases, when a stimulator is found to be defective it must be removed. This surgery can be both costly and cause its own complications. Not only is there always a risk of infection with every surgery, but because the removal of a stimulator requires navigating delicate nerves in the spine, it is possible that nerves can be nicked or otherwise damages during the procedure leading to symptoms such as weakness, pain, or numbness in the body. In some cases, removal of the simulator can result in a leakage of spinal fluid from the epidural space, leading to severe and long-lasting headaches or feelings of fatigue which may heal on its own or may require its own surgery to repair.

Implantable Spinal-Devices Are a Multi-billion Dollar Industry and Two of Leading Manufacturers In the Industry Are Medtronic and Boston Scientific

Implantable Neurostimulation Systems and other spinal-devices are a huge business for the medical implant device industry.  The global market for spinal-devices is currently over $ 3 billion per year and is expected to increase to over $5 billion per year by 2018.

Neurostimulators have been used for a variety of types of chronic back pain situations including heriniated disks, postlaminectomy paid, Complex Reginal Pay Syndrome, unsuccessful disk surgery, Degenerative Disk Disease, and Failed Back Syndrome. The Medtronic implantable neurostimulation system is indicated for spinal cord stimulation (SCS) as an aid in the management of chronic, intractable pain of the trunk and/or limbs—including unilateral or bilateral pain associated with several different conditions.   Unfortunately, because of the profits to be made from implanting a spinal stimulator, many people have received spinal stimulators for off-label or non-approved indications.  

Medical professionals that are aware of significant off-label use of spinal stimulators are encouraged to properly report any Medicare fraud or Medicaid fraud that may be occurring.  Please feel free to go to the following web page for information on Qui Tam Whistleblower Reward Lawsuits and Reporting Medicare Fraud.

Spinal Stimulator Lawsuit Information

In reviewing potential failed back surgery implant lawsuits, it is important to obtain copies of your medical records and to determine if the implantable neurostimulation system was properly implanted by the spinal surgeon or if the spinal stimulator was defective.  If the spinal stimulator was defective and has/had to be removed, it is important that the defective device is kept as potential evidence.  For more information on this topic, please feel free to go to the following web page, Failed Back Surgery and Defective Implantable Neurostimulation System Lawsuits.