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.