Author Archives: Wendi Lewis

Blood-thinner Pradaxa linked to uncontrollable bleeding, death

Posted: March 9, 2012 Pharmaceutical

Concerns about prescription blood-thinning medication Pradaxa increased recently, when a Utah man died within hours after falling and hitting his head. Doctors discovered he was hemorrhaging in his brain and could not stop the bleeding. The man had been taking

Plaintiffs Steering Committee in BP Gulf oil spill litigation announces settlement in principle with BP

Posted: March 5, 2012 Environmental

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 2, 2012 – NEW ORLEANS – The Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) spearheading the litigation surrounding the 2010 BP Gulf Oil Spill today announced that a settlement in principle has been reached with BP that will

Start of BP oil spill trial delayed one week

Posted: February 28, 2012 Environmental

The trial to determine liability for the largest oil spill in U.S. history was set to begin Feb. 27, in New Orleans, Louisiana. However, Judge Carl Barbier, under whom the litigation is consolidated in U.S. District Court in New Orleans,

Whose Gardasil study is this, anyway?

Posted: February 9, 2012 Pharmaceutical

The results of a recently completed study were reported in USA Today on Jan. 28, which definitively declared that the HPV vaccine Gardasil does not trigger autoimmune disorders. The research was conducted in the wake of  public outcry and concern

New recommendations for Gardasil vaccine may put boys at risk

Posted: February 2, 2012 Pharmaceutical

Despite outcry from parents of girls who have received the HPV vaccine Gardasil, and criticism about the vaccine’s effectiveness from one of its own creators, this month the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed its use for boys. This follows a

Emotions overflow at public forum about Gardasil, as vaccine ‘victims’ speak out

Posted: January 24, 2012 Pharmaceutical

What was designed to be a public health information forum about the HPV vaccine turned into an emotional scene as self-described “victims” of the vaccine spoke out about serious side effects linked to the drug. Perhaps the most well known

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month

Posted: January 23, 2012 Pharmaceutical

Throughout the month of January, women are observing Cervical Health Awareness Month. According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC), each year in the U.S., approximately 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer. More than 4,000 women die as a

Young woman posts YouTube video about her Gardasil experience

Posted: January 12, 2012 Pharmaceutical

A video was posted to YouTube on January 3, 2012, called “Gardasil or Gardahell? You tell me!” by a 22-year-old young woman who identifies herself as “Ashley.” Filming herself, Ashley talks to viewers about her personal experiences with the Gardasil

Overestimating benefits of HPV vaccines could lead to increased risks

Posted: January 3, 2012 Pharmaceutical

A new study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine indicates girls who receive HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccines like Gardasil and Cervarix may overestimate the amount of protection the drug offers. According to the report, funded by the

Gardasil marketing: putting the profit cart before the proof horse?

Posted: November 21, 2011 Pharmaceutical

On first glance, a  study published by drug manufacturer Merck & Co., in the New England Journal of Medicine appears to declare the Gardasil vaccine a resounding success. The pharmaceutical giant points to numbers that show its cervical cancer vaccine