New York City Personal Injury Law Blog

As the Food and Drug Administration continues its investigation into a popular medication called valsartan, doctors in New York and other cities are concerned about getting the word out to patients that the drug has been recalled. Doctors prescribed the drug to an estimated 3 million hypertension patients throughout the country, Newsday reports, who may have a supply that doesn’t expire for several months still.

Another issue that may hamper the process of notification is the inability of unsophisticated software to search medical records by patient name, condition or medication brand and production data. Adding to these issues is the concern that tainted medications may have been on the market since 2012 and the contamination was uncovered just recently.

New Yorkers know that baby-proofing their home is part of the process of raising a child and something that should be done by the time their little ones start crawling around. Preventing them from getting into deadly poisons, cleaning products, sharp objects and other harmful things around the home is a priority for their safety. But in today’s world, increased vigilance is called for in keeping them out of harm’s way, and parents must keep an eye out for a variety of potential threats.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission sends out between 400 and 450 product recalls annually, according to U.S. News & World Report. Here are some of the products that are at the top of the list when it comes to the most dangerous products for babies.

• Slings: Baby carriers and slings that you wrap around your torso and your baby can smother a newborn. Parents should check that their infant’s airway is not blocked whenever they employ them.
• Dressers: Climbing a bureau may seem like a fun activity for kids. This poses a threat that they’ll overturn the furniture on top of themselves, or dislodge a heavy object on top that may topple over and strike them.
• Magnets: Powerful magnets that are small enough to swallow can try to join internally, tearing through intestinal tissue or trapping a part of it between them.
• Jewelry: Beads and metal pieces that make up necklaces, bracelets and other jewelry can come apart and prove a choking hazard. Metal on old jewelry may also contain lead or cadmium.

Following the continuous efforts by health advocates and thousands of women, Bayer announced that it will no longer sell its Essure birth control implant by the end of the year. The permanent birth control method resembles the spring of a ballpoint pen and does not require an incision or invasive surgery. 

The company says the decision to discontinue the device was because of declining sales. The several lawsuits against Bayer and a Netlflix documentary may also have been factors. A sisterhood of women came together to share their experiences of the side effects of Essure. The Facebook group, "Essure Problems" has grown to 38,000 members since 2011. The creator of the group suffers from an autoimmune disorder because of her Essure implant.  

When an accident results in a traumatic brain injury, many aspects of life may change in an instant. Depending on the severity of the accident, some New York victims deal with the effects of the injury for many months, years and even a lifetime. While there may not be a single solution to recovering after a TBI, there are facts to know about this condition and the way it can affect everday life. 

Psychology Today is quick to note in an article on brain injuries that symptoms are not always visible. In fact, many effects of a TBI involve headaches, mood swings and other problems that can prove difficult to pinpoint. Psychology Today also refers to one Danish study that found that those affected by a TBI are roughly four times more likely to develop a mental illness. With that said, the article goes on to stress the importance of identifying those mental illnesses and addressing them appropriately. Even when an accident may not seem serious, symptoms can develop over time.