Step-Stool Recall Expanded After Additional Injuries

Target has recalled an additional 341,000 step-stools after reports of more collapses, including a fractured pelvis and two broken arms.

The wooden stools were sold under the Circo and Do Your Room brand names from January 2007 through October 2010.  There have been at least 27 reports of the stools breaking or collapsing and causing injuries to children and adults.

Target recalled 206,000 of the stools earlier this month.  Consumers should stop using the stools immediately.

The attorneys at Messa & Associates have successfully represented many victims of recalled products.  If you or a loved one has been seriously injured as a result of the recalled step-stools sold exclusively at Target, please contact us at 1-877-MessaLaw.

Window Falls Injure Thousands of Children

According to a study, almost 100,000 U.S. children and teens have been injured in falls from windows over the past two decades— primarily on the first and second floors.  About half the injuries were to the head and face.

The study appeared in the journal Pediatrics and researchers found that summer months, when windows are left open, saw the highest number of injuries and boys made up about 60 percent of the falls.  One doctor noted that the “injuries are commonly severe and can lead to a lifetime of disability.”

Some doctors believe there should be mandatory regulations in places where children are at a greater risk of falling, such as high-rise apartment buildings.  New York City requires window guards in apartments with children 10 and younger.

Researchers recommended homes with small children equip windows with window guards.  They also suggested parents move furniture away from window areas since many children climb on furniture to gain access to a window.  Most importantly, parents should be aware that a window with a screen is not adequate to prevent a child from falling.  In the study, 83 percent of the falls were from windows with screens.

Messa & Associates has pursued many cases involving injuries and death to children.  We combine our years of experience, thorough research and the knowledge of highly regarded experts to prepare these cases.  For more information regarding window safety or if your child has been seriously injured as a result of a window fall, please contact us at 1-877-MessaLaw.

Lawsuits Filed Against Maker of Diabetes Drug Actos

The first lawsuits against Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. have been filed and many more are expected in the coming months.  The lawsuits allege that Actos, a once-a-day pill for Type 2 diabetes, triggered bladder cancer in patients who took the pills daily for years. In some cases, the effects were fatal.

Specifically, Actos has been pointed to as a cause of recurring bladder cancer in some patients who have taken the drug daily over an extended period of time.  One case involves a Reading, Pa. woman who was prescribed Actos for diabetes more than a decade ago.  She was initially diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2009, which has been recurring since that time, and has required multiple surgeries to remove tumors.  The woman is currently waiting to find out if she will require further treatment that may end in her ultimately losing her bladder.

Actos and Avandia, the only other once daily Type 2 diabetes drug, were appealing because they helped to control blood sugar and boosted the effects of some other diabetes drugs.  The drugs also were known to improve the body's sensitivity to insulin and even allowed patients to reduce or delay use of injected insulin.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about the cancer risk based on new research, but have allowed sales to continue although doctors are being told not to prescribe Actos for people who have or have had bladder cancer.  Actos became the number one diabetes pill after Avandia was found increase risk of heart attacks.  Actos has also been linked to heart failure and other side effects.  Use of Avandia has been banned in the EU and is very restricted in the U.S.

In June, the FDA concluded that risk of bladder cancer was 40 percent higher for patients taking Actos for at least a year.  The ruling was based on an analysis of a part of the 10-year safety study Takeda started in 2002.  Although Takeda declined to discuss the lawsuit, the company said Actos would remain available for patients who need it.

Messa & Associates is available to handle cases involving bladder cancer, heart attacks or other injuries related to Actos or Avandia.  Our attorneys are experienced at have handled dozens of cases involving drugs and drug product injuries.  Our attorneys have successfully pursued litigation and obtained verdicts and settlements for victims suffering from these injuries.  If you or a loved one has used the diabetes drugs Actos or Avandia and suffered serious illness or death, please contact us at 1-877-MessaLaw.