Author Archives: Jennifer Walker-Journey

Doctor calls metal hip implants ‘ticking time bombs’

Posted: May 1, 2012 Pharmaceutical

“This is like an unknown ticking time bomb because we don’t know what the long term effect is going to be,” Dr. Nizar Mahomed, an orthopedic surgeon at Toronto Western Hospital told CTV. He was warning about metal-on-metal artificial hips,

Woman sues bladder sling maker for failing to warn about possible complications

Posted: April 30, 2012 Pharmaceutical

“I never had this before, nothing so bad that you could just sit down and cry. You just don’t know what’s going on with your body.” Canadian resident Diane McLaughlin recalls the severe pain she experienced shortly after surgery in 2006

New coating could help prevent premature failure of artificial hips

Posted: April 30, 2012 Pharmaceutical

A new coating for artificial hips developed by chemical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology could prevent hip implants from failing prematurely, and save elderly patients from dangerous complications caused by repeat surgeries.

Experimental autism drug shows promise in animal studies

Posted: April 26, 2012 Pharmaceutical

Researchers are working to develop treatments for autism, and one drug is showing surprisingly positive results in animal studies. The experimental compound is known as GRN-529, and was developed by researchers from the National Institutes of Mental Health and drug

Blood thinners more dangerous for people with clotting disorders

Posted: April 26, 2012 Pharmaceutical

Bleeding disorders are more common than most people realize, and often go undiagnosed. The most common type of bleeding disorder is von Willebrand disease (VWD), a condition in which the blood does not clot properly. When injury occurs in patients

Man undergoes six surgeries as result of defective metal hip

Posted: April 26, 2012 Pharmaceutical

Eric Mets expected relief from pain after having hip replacement surgery in 2008, but his symptoms only got worse. It was puzzling not only to Eric, but to his doctors as well. Eric had been fitted with a newer hip

Health Canada puts bladder cancer warning on diabetes drug Actos

Posted: April 26, 2012 Pharmaceutical

Health Canada is warning citizens that the type 2 diabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone) may cause bladder cancer. The announcement was made following a months-long safety assessment by the Canadian drug regulator. Health Canada began the assessment last June, two days

Cardiology group compares safety of blood thinners

Posted: April 25, 2012 Pharmaceutical

A group of researchers from the European Society of Cardiology have found what they say is the best-documented alternative to the blood thinners warfarin and aspirin for the prevention of stroke in patients with a type of irregular heartbeat known

Study shows shingles vaccine is safe, well tolerated

Posted: April 24, 2012 Pharmaceutical

The shingles vaccine is generally safe and well tolerated for adults ages 50 and older, according to a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. Each year, more than a million adults in the United States develops shingles. It

Lawsuit claims Depakote during pregnancy caused serious birth defect

Posted: April 24, 2012 Pharmaceutical

A mother has filed a lawsuit against the makers of the anti-seizure medication Depakote claiming that using the drug while she was pregnant caused her son to be born with a penile birth defect. The lawsuit claims that Abbott Laboratories