More than 30 personal injury lawsuits have been filed in Illinois and Texas after a tainted medication led to allergic reactions and deaths in 2008.

Baxter International Inc. recalled herapin, a blood thinner and anti-coagulant, in 2008 when ingredients in the medication were found to cause adverse reactions. Key components at fault within herapin were traced back to animal products from China included in the product, according to Bloomberg.

A main component of herapin is made from pig intestines, a Baxter spokesperson said in a 2008 statement.

Baxter had supplied about half of the United States’ blood thinner and anti-coagulant when reports of allergic reactions started coming in. Erin Gardiner, a company spokeswoman, told Bloomberg that the company began a voluntary recall when they noticed the increase in adverse reactions.

The US Food and Drug Administration found after the recall that herapin was contaminated with a substance similar to herapin but was actually over-sulfated chondroitin sulfate, according to the Southeast Texas Record.

A China-based company manufactured the active ingredient in herapin from raw materials bought from smaller, family owned workshops. The workshops extracted what was used for herapin from pig intestines, the Southeast Texas Record reported.

“The decision to source from China is based solely on supply — the majority of the world’s supply of crude heparin comes from China, due to the large number of pigs required,” Baxter said in 2008.

Gardiner told Bloomberg recently that Baxter was unable to pinpoint exactly where the contaminated materials came into the manufacturing of herapin, since it was introduced into the process before it ever reached Baxter’s facilities.

The company, based in Deerfield, Illinois, said they “deeply regret any impact the 2008 herapin contamination may have had on patients and family members.”

The U.S. FDA set new standards in manufacturing the blood thinner in 2008 after the recall, but Chinese suppliers do not fall under the same scrutiny of U.S.-based health agencies.

The Illinois-based personal injury lawsuits accuse Baxter and supplier Scientific Protein Laboratories with negligence and are seeking monetary damages for both people who were hurt by the tainted products and for their family members, Bloomberg reported.

A lawsuit filed in Texas also accuses Baxter of failing to disclose test results, failing to act reasonably to recall the drugs and failing to act as a reasonably prudent drug manufacturer, according the Southeast Texas Record.

In 2007, actor Denis Quaid and his wife filed a product liability lawsuit in Chicago against Baxter after their newborn twins were given high amounts of herapin by accident, the Associated Press reported.

Quaid’s suit alleged that higher doses of herapin were packaged the same as lower amounts.

Three different personal injury lawsuits were filed against Pfizer Inc. last week claiming that suicide attempts and a death stemmed from use of the drug Chantix to help alleviate symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

The crux of each personal injury lawsuit is that staff at Pfizer did not properly inform both doctors and potential users about the potential for psychological disturbance caused by the drug, according to Reuters. All the cases were filled at the New York State Supreme Court based in Manhattan.

The suits claim the company knew that use of Chantix could possibly lead to feelings of depression and suicidal thoughts before distributing. While warnings are packaged with Chantix containers, attorneys representing those who filed against Pfizer said the warnings do not accurately describe potential side effects.

Attorney Marc Grossman wrote in one of the suits that the pharmaceutical company “intentionally, recklessly, and/or negligently concealed, suppressed, omitted, and/or misrepresented the risks, dangers, defects and disadvantages of Chantix,” Reuters reported.

Claims in two of the injury lawsuits read that two people tried to commit suicide after using the drug for help with smoking cessation. Further details about the suicide attempts were not reported.

The third suit is for wrongful death, and was filed after Indiana resident Annette Pine allegedly committed suicide after using the drug. Specific details about Pine’s case also were not reported, according to Reuters.

Pfizer spokespeople released a response after the suits were filed where they praised the drug’s effectiveness, and pointed out that it had been approved in 86 countries as an aid to quit smoking cigarettes.

“At all times, Pfizer has clearly communicated important information about the safe use of Chantix, which is available only with a prescription,” Pfizer spokesperson Sally Beatty said in the statement, also adding that Chantix has helped many smokers to quit.

“We intend to vigorously defend this medicine,” Beatty said in the statement.

All three lawsuits claim that each plaintiff used the drug as it was prescribed.

The suits also state that both the patients and their doctors were “not aware and through diligent efforts were not able to discover the risk of serious injury, and/or depressed mood and/or suicide associated with and/or caused by Chantix.”

According to Chantix.com, the drug blocks receptors in the brain that would ordinarily link with nicotine, but also causes the hormone dopamine to release. Nicotine also cause dopamine release but at a higher amount than what Chantix causes.

The site also lists that as of August 2008 over 6 million people in the United States have been prescribed Chantix for smoking cessation.

Pfizer first released the drug in 2006. Sales have since fallen while reports and concerns about side effects increased, Reuters reported.

Chantix sales fell about 15 percent in the third quarter of 2009.

Heath experts are now calling for lower doses of over-the-counter acetaminophen in drugs like Tylenol and Excedrin.

At a two-day conference hosted by the Food and Drug Administration, approximately 40 health experts came to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to decrease the recommended dose of acetaminophen - currently at 1000mg - to 650mg.

According to an Associated Press report, acetaminophen is one of the most widely used drugs in America because many people find it easier on the body than ibuprofen and aspirin - but now the popular painkiller is accused of causing liver injury.

In addition to decreasing the over-the-counter dose of the drug, prescription drugs like Vicodin and Percocet may be taken off the market for good because of the severe damage they can do to our bodies.

So what does this mean for the future of pain relief? One theory is to just take more than recommended on the bottle - which is clearly not a good idea, and don’t count on any personal injury lawsuits if that’s a decision you make.

As for prescription drugs, there are other painkilling options out there that might be a bit safer to ingest. To learn more, see the Today Show’s report.

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement of charges that it illegally marketed an antipsycotic drug.

The billion-dollar settlement comes as some experts were predicting a downward trend for these jury awards. In 2008, there were no billion-dollar jury awards. This is due in part to a 2003 Supreme Court ruling that essentially capped punitive damages at 10-times the amount of actual damages.

But the Eli Lilly case already gives 2009 a billion-dollar settlement only a few weeks into the new year. The case revolves around Zyprexa and the FDA’s approval of the drug for use only in certain circumstances. The FDA did not approve the drug for use by children, elderly or patients who had trouble sleeping.

But so called "off-label" marketing practices - promoting the drug for use in non-approved scenarios - led to the lawsuit.

Read more about pharmaceutical and defective drug personal injury lawsuits.

Anti-psychotic drugs that are commonly prescribed to Alzheimer’s patients to control hallucinations and calm aggression may actually increase the patient’s chance of dying within a few years, says a new study published Friday in the Lancet Neurology medical journal.

”For the vast majority of Alzheimer’s patients, taking these drugs is probably not a worthwhile risk,” Clive Ballard, the paper’s lead author told The New York Times.

”Would I want to take a drug that slightly reduced my aggression but doubled my risk of dying? I’m not sure I would,” Ballard continued.

The research was published Friday in the medical journal, Lancet Neurology. Read the full NYT article.

Get information about defective drugs and filing a defective drug lawsuit.

Thousands of women filed suit against Johnson & Johnson after their suffered blood clots, heart attacks or strokes after using their birth control patch, Ortho Evra.

The company, which is the world’s largest maker of healthcare products, settled the suits for at least $68.7 million. Many see this move as a way for the company to dodge high-profile trials. The settlements are confidential and the company’s investors won’t be informed of the details.

There were 562 complaints (representing 4,000 women) against the company.

The majority of the complaints related to blood clots in the legs (deep-vein thrombosis) and blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolisms). The complaints also listed 20 women who died after using the patch.

One case involved the death of a 17-year-old high school girl from St. Louis who died in 2003 after she was on the patch for six months. She is survived by her 1-year-old child. Her parents said they had no idea of the risk behind using the patch.

Millions of women have used the patch since it got on the market in 2002. With the consent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Johnson & Johnson voluntarily strengthened the warning label three times.

The current label warns that the patch exposes to women to 60 percent more estrogen than the average birth control pill, which increases side effects.

Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, an advocacy organization, petitioned the FDA in May to ban the patch within six months, even after the three label changes.

Check out some of Total Injury’s related articles:

• Dangerous Flaws in Drug Recall System
• The Story on Drug Research
• Drugs with Potential for Patient Injuries Revealed 

Last week, super-sized drugmaker, Eli Lilly & Co., cleared problems with its top selling drug Zyprexa, an anti-psychotic medication, by paying out $62 million to 32 states and Washington, D.C.

Eli Lilly was charged with marketing the drug for off-label uses, such as pediatric care and treatment of dementia, and not properly disclosing the full range of side effects to healthcare providers.

The company didn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing. The settlement will be divided among the states based on population.

According to the Indiana attorney general, the company also agreed to appropriate its medical staff (not its marketing staff) with the responsibility for consenting to the content in “all medical letters and medical references regarding Zyprexa.”

“The one thing that’s really key here is they’ve agreed to have a much more transparent system,” the attorney general said.

Check out Total Injury’s related articles:

• The Whole Drug Research Story
• Drugs With Potential Patient Injuries Revealed

Mergers between pharmaceutical companies are common, but with such a volatile product to sell, they’re often complex and messy transactions.  Product liability verdicts for drugs or medical devices can be massive, especially in states that haven’t caved in to medical malpractice caps.

When New Jersey drug giant Wyeth purchased American Cyanamid in 1994, they also take responsibility for American Cyanamid’s products as a subsidiary. This includes a recent jury award granting $8.5 million to a man who contracted polio after receiving a polio vaccine manufactured by American Cyanamid, a vaccine that was discontinued in 2000.

With its ocean of cash and top lawyers on retainer, Wyeth is in a better position that American Cyanamid was to fight the jury verdict, which is just what they’re doing.  Though an FDA official testified in the previous trial that American Cyanamid did not perform sufficient tests on early vaccine samples, the FDA has now apparently reversed its position, saying that they were mistaken on what tests were required.

And now, a paralyzed Missouri man may face losing money for his medical care.  Check back in the future for updates on this fascinating defective drugs court case.