Glaxo Smith Kline Settles Hundreds of Paxil Birth Defect Lawsuits for More Than $1 Billion

Monday, July 26th, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing | No Comments

Still reeling from an FDA panel decision last week to recommend either the withdrawal of its anti-diabetes drug Avandia from the market, or restrict sales, GlaxoSmithKline has decided to settle hundreds of lawsuits arising from birth defects caused by its antidepressant, Paxil.  The company agreed to pay more than $1 billion to settle these lawsuits.

The lawsuits arise from birth defects suffered by children whose mothers took Paxil during their pregnancy.  GlaxoSmithKline marketed Paxil for use in the treatment of major depression, social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and in other anxiety disorders.  It has been one of the company’s biggest blockbusters, generating sales of millions of dollars a year.

In 2005 however, women who had taken Paxil during their pregnancy, and delivered babies with birth defects, began to come forward with their stories.  Since then, hundreds of women have sued Glaxo.  This week, the company decided to settle more than 800 of these lawsuits for $1 billion.  Each plaintiff in the lawsuit will receive approximately $1.2 million from the settlement.  Several other birth defect lawsuits against Glaxo are still pending, including three that are expected to go to trial later this year.  According to the company, it decided to settle the lawsuit because of the costs involved in long-term litigation.

The billion-dollar payout to settle Paxil birth defect lawsuits coincided with the company announcing that it was now in the red, with a loss of $464 million from its $2.4 billion legal expense charge.  The company had announced that it would set aside the legal expense fund in order to meet Paxil birth defect lawsuit payments, as well as Avandia settlements.  The company is also expected to pay out millions of dollars after an investigation into its Puerto Rico plant found quality-control problems.  All in all, it hasn’t been a great week for Glaxo. As long as the company continues to be reckless about its manufacturing and sales practices, it will continue to come up against California pharmaceutical liability lawyers.

Check Your Tire Pressure Frequently to Avoid Accidents

Thursday, July 8th, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing | No Comments

Underinflated tires are at a high risk for tire failure, which is a factor in thousands of accidents every year. When a tire is underinflated, it can’t maintain its shape, and may become flat while the car is in motion. Even just a little under-inflation of six psi, could contribute to tire failure. A new survey finds that large numbers of Americans continue to drive with tires that are poorly inflated.

The survey was conducted by the Rubber Manufacturers Association, and studied more than 6,300 vehicles. It found that 55% of the vehicles in the study had at least one underinflated tire. When you take that in the context of the US population, it means that nearly 140 million vehicles in the US are being driven with at least one underinflated tire. The survey found that only 17% of all vehicles had all four properly inflated tires. That figure represents just 38 million vehicles on our roads. Obviously, it’s a really small percentage of vehicles that are perfectly equipped to handle sudden braking, turns and curves without flipping over.

Tire failure is especially closely linked to rollover accidents. In fact, tire failure is one of the main contributing factors in these devastating crashes. Every year, rollover accidents account for approximately 30% of all accident-related fatalities in the US. These accidents typically involve sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks and vans that tend to have a higher center of gravity. However, passenger vehicles like sedans can also flip over in certain situations.

The Rubber Manufacturers’ Association recommends that you check your tire pressure every day. A visual inspection may not be enough to gauge the tire pressure. Check your tire pressure before a long journey. Make sure that the tire is properly inflated, and not overinflated. Your car user manual will come with the right inflation pressure for your tire.

There are other reasons Las Vegas personal injury lawyers would give for you to keep your tires properly inflated. Properly inflated tires can help you save on fuel, and can also increase the lifespan of your tire.