Illinois Injury and Mass Tort Lawyer Blog

Published on: August 30, 2021

Chicago Consumers Should Be Aware of FDA Recall of Hand Sanitizers

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many questions about how best the public should protect itself. Among the recommendations were more frequent hand washing and hand sanitizing. Since then, there’s been a new Delta variant causing new surges, and yet there are some dangers consumers should be aware of when using hand sanitizers to guard against COVID-19 and its variants. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has built a fairly long list of recalled hand sanitizers. At last look, there are 255 different recalled hand sanitizers listed. Chicago consumers should stay aware of the potential harm of these products.

According to the FDA, around nine hand sanitizers produced in Mexico contained high levels of methanol. Methanol is produced from vegetation, microbes and volcanic gases. It’s often used as a solvent in various pharmaceuticals and as an industrial solvent for dyes, adhesives, resins, and inks. Importantly, consumers should be aware it is a chemical that may have detrimental effects whether exposure is short-term or long-term.

Symptoms of toxic exposure to methanol include vomiting, nausea, headache, permanent blindness, coma, seizures, permanent nervous system damage or death. If you were exposed to hand sanitizer that has methanol in it, you should get treated immediately.

Continue reading →

Published on: August 23, 2021

FDA Notifies Amazon It Is Distributing Defective Drugs

By Moll Law Group

In spite of its efforts to stop the distribution of dangerous weight loss and sexual enhancement products, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to discover weight loss and sexual enhancement products that violate the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act at various online stores. Consumers in Chicago and elsewhere should be wary of purchasing these types of products online.

The FDA has warned consumers about dangerous products available at online retailers for a decade, but in spite of efforts to improve safety in these spaces, violations persist. On July 26, 2021, the FDA issued a letter to let Amazon know that it was distributing weight loss and sexual enhancement products that violate the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The distributed products include hidden ingredients that could have harmful medical consequences.

The FDA sampled 26 products it bought on Amazon. It also sampled 25 products it bought on eBay. Alarmingly, the FDA found that all 26 of the drugs bought on Amazon contained undeclared active ingredients. 20 of 25 products purchased on eBay also did. None of the potentially harmful ingredients in these products is declared in the product labeling so that consumers know to seek physician supervision and advice with regard to them. For instance, an FDA lab analysis confirmed that X Rated Honey for Men includes tadalafil, which is the active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis. Likewise, analysis found tadalafil, the active ingredient in the FDA-approved prescription drug Cialis, in Adam’s Secret Extra Strength 2000 sold through online retailers.

Continue reading →

Published on: August 16, 2021

Benzene in Neutrogena Aerosol Sunscreen Products

By Moll Law Group

Aerosol-Sunscreen-Product Litigation has been filed against Johnson & Johnson after the discovery of benzene in their Neutrogena aerosol sunscreen products. A study by the pharmaceutical testing lab Valisure has revealed high concentrations of benzene in many sunscreen products. Two months later, Johnson & Johnson voluntarily recalled five of its Neutrogena and Aveeno aerosol sunscreens and warned consumers to stop using those products after they conducted internal testing that detected low-level benzene in certain sprays. Recently, plaintiffs petitioned the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation asking for the creation of a multidistrict litigation docket in connection with their claims. Those in Chicago who have been diagnosed with cancer and suspect it is related to sunscreen aerosol sprays in which benzene has been found should consult experienced product liability lawyers about whether they have claim.

These lawsuits include allegations that are almost identical. Specifically, they allege that the company’s sunscreen sprays are defective because they contain benzene. Benzene is harmful; as a carcinogen, it is linked to blood cancers.

Benzene was found in around 78 different batches of sunscreen and after-sun products for which benzene is not listed as an ingredient. The report specifies certain manufacturers whose products include benzene including:

Neutrogena
CVS Health
Banana Boat
BabyGanics
Coppertone
Walgreens
Aveeno

Continue reading →

Published on: May 22, 2020

Johnson & Johnson Stops Selling Its Talc-Based Baby Powder in the United States and Canada

By Moll Law Group

Earlier this week, U.S. consumer product manufacturing giant Johnson & Johnson announced that it will no longer be selling the company’s talc-based baby powder products in the United States and Canada. The announcement comes after years of litigation surrounding allegations that the company’s talc-based baby powder may cause cancer. The announcement also follows last year’s recall of a batch of baby powder that was found to have potentially unsafe levels of asbestos, the cancer-causing agent that was at the center of the litigation.

Photo Credit: SewCream/Shutterstock.com

According to a recent news report, Johnson & Johnson stands behind the safety of its baby powder, and claims to have decided to stop selling the product due to shifting consumer habits, rather than safety concerns. Along those lines, a Johnson & Johnson representative issued a statement explaining that the company “remains steadfastly confident in the safety of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder” and that it will “vigorously defend the product, its safety, and the unfounded allegations against it and the company in the courtroom.”

Continue reading →

Published on: May 18, 2020

Illinois Residents with Certain Breast Implants May Be in Danger, According to FDA

By Moll Law Group

Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning regarding

Photo Credit:
g0d4ather/Shutterstock.com

two breast implant manufacturers for their failure to comply with specific regulatory requirements. According to the official FDA press release, the FDA sent warning letters to Allergan and Ideal Implant Incorporated.

The Warning Letters

Under United States regulations, the manufacturers of silicone breast implants must conduct studies to ensure the continued safety of their products, even after the product has obtained FDA approval. According to the FDA, these post-approval studies are designed to “further evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the products and to answer additional scientific questions about the long-term safety and potential risks of breast implants that their premarket clinical trials were not designed to answer.”

Notably, the FDA requires this follow-up testing even if the manufacturer voluntarily recalls a product. These post-approval studies are crucial to evaluate the continued safety of recalled breast implants for those who already have had the devices implanted.

Continue reading →

Published on: April 6, 2020

The Food and Drug Administration Pulls Zantac from Pharmacy Shelves

By Moll Law Group

FDA Recall Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a news release requesting manufacturers to withdraw all products containing the popular heartburn drug, ranitidine, the active ingredient in the medication, Zantac. The order applies to both prescription and over-the-counter medications. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 national emergency, those who have medicine containing ranitidine on hand are being asked not to return the product to the pharmacy, as is typically recommended. Instead, the FDA is recommending the medication be destroyed according to the disposal suggestion contained in the medication guide or package insert. All formulations of ranitidine are impacted, including pills, injections, and compounded medications that include ranitidine.

The recent recall is the latest step in an escalating investigation surrounding a contaminant known as N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is commonly found in ranitidine. Through its research, the FDA found that the impurities in some ranitidine products increase over time when stored at higher temperatures, potentially resulting in dangerous levels of NDMA.

In its official statement, the FDA explained that it didn’t see unacceptable levels of NDMA in the many samples they tested. Nevertheless, since they did not know how or for how long the product might have been stored they decided that it should not be available to consumers and patients unless its quality could be assured.

Continue reading →

Published on: August 12, 2019

Bayer Considers Paying up to $8 Billion to Settle over 18,000 Pending Roundup Lawsuits Amid “Shareholder Revolt”

By Moll Law Group

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a division of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, as a possible carcinogen. While this is not the first product that presents a risk of cancer to users, the Roundup cases are unique because so many people have been exposed to the product. Since the discovery that Roundup may cause cancer, there have been thousands of product liability lawsuits filed against Bayer, the German manufacturing giant. Bayer purchased Monsanto, the company that initially created and marketed Roundup, in 2018.

Photo Credit: Sheila Fitzgerald / Shutterstock.com

These product liability claims seek to hold the company accountable for tragic effects caused by its herbicide, which the company did not disclose to consumers. Over the past few years, several of these cases went to trial, resulting in multi-million-dollar verdicts, totaling over $2 billion to date.

Continue reading →

Published on: June 20, 2019

Are Children Eating Cereal Containing the Weedkiller Roundup?

By Moll Law Group

Earlier this year, the manufacture of the popular herbicide, Roundup, was found to be liable in a series of product liability lawsuits and ordered to pay a total of $2 billion in punitive damages. In addition to these cases, there are approximately 13,400 others who are waiting for their case to be heard, all of whom claim that glyphosate, the chemical found in Roundup, is responsible for their cancer diagnoses.

Photo Credit: Denis Makulov / Shutterstock.com

Over the years, Roundup has been used to treat crops across the United States. It is also used as a desiccant, or a drying agent, that is sprayed onto crops – especially oats – just before they are harvested. Farmers use glyphosate to kill the crop so that it dries out faster, allowing manufacturers to process the oats more quickly. As a result, it has been suggested that high levels of glyphosate can be found in certain oat products. Thus, the dangerousness of Roundup may not only affect adults who used the product, but also anyone who consumes food containing glyphosate.

Continue reading →

Published on: April 9, 2019

Seizures Reported Following E-Cigarette Use Especially in Youth – FDA Report Indicates

By Moll Law Group

The truth is that manufacturers are most interested in making a profit. Some manufacturers place dangerous products into the stream of commerce, putting millions of lives at risk. Often, there is something more that could be done to create a safer product; however, manufacturers may need encouragement to make their products safer. This encouragement frequently comes from a manufacturer’s fear of legal liability associated with a lawsuit, such as an Illinois product liability claim.

Photo Credit: Redpixel.pl / Shutterstock.com

Take cigarettes, for example. For decades, there has been widespread agreement that smoking is hazardous to health. Indeed, tobacco companies are still facing lawsuits brought on behalf of those who have died due to complications caused by smoking. However, over the years, society has become more informed about the dangers of tobacco, and more recently the trend has shifted away from smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes and toward “vaping.”

Continue reading →

Published on: March 28, 2019

Monsanto Ordered to Pay Over $80 Million in Roundup Cancer Case

By Moll Law Group

Photo Credit: BCFC / Shutterstock.com

The second phase of the bifurcated trial determining whether Monsanto should be held liable for the non-Hodgkins lymphoma suffered by a man after using the Monsanto product Roundup for decades has concluded. The culmination of the trial resulted in a jury award of over $5.6 million in compensatory damages and $200,000 for medical expenses to the plaintiff, and $75 million in punitive damages. The damages awarded are not only meant to compensate the plaintiff for the harm he suffered, but also to punish Monsanto for inappropriate conduct related to the product. While Bayer, the company that purchased Monsanto, issued a statement that it did not believe the subject case would impact future cases, the opposite is most likely true. Although each case must be assessed on its unique facts, it is probable that the subject case will have far-reaching effects on cases throughout the country in which it is alleged that Roundup caused a plaintiff’s harm, including Illinois toxic tort cases.

Evidence Presented in the Second Phase

Continue reading →