(NaturalNews) A 7-year-old girl died after a Botox injection paralyzed her lungs, her family says, and they are suing pharmaceutical company Allergan for wrongful death.
Botox is the trade name for the botulinim toxin, which is produced by the botulism bacteria. Botulinim toxin blocks nerve signaling, leading to muscle paralysis, and has been called the single most toxic protein known. In small doses, it is approved for use to smooth away facial wrinkles. Although it is not approved in the United States for the treatment of muscle spasms such as those caused by cerebral palsy, U.S. law allows doctors to prescribe drugs for unapproved uses if they wish.
Kristen Spears began Botox treatment for cerebral palsy-related spasms at age six. In November 2007, Spears died from pneumonia and respiratory failure, which her family claims was caused when the botulinim toxin spread to her lungs and weakened her breathing muscles.
Spears' case is the first Botox-related wrongful death lawsuit to reach trial. The company claims that the drug actually improved Spears' breathing, and that she died from complications of her underlying cerebral palsy. To counter this claim, the plaintiffs' lawyers will seek to prove that the Botox spread beyond its injection site in Spears' body.
According to the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen, there have been at least 180 reported cases of serious side effects from Botox and at least 16 related deaths. Concern over these side effects led the FDA to mandate a "black box" label for Botox in April 2009, warning that improper injection may allow the toxin to spread to other parts of the body, with potentially fatal consequences.
Records unsealed as part of the lawsuit show that as early as 2005, Allergan knew that serious side effects could result from use of the drug.
Allergan makes $1.3 billion a year in Botox sales, $47 million from its use as a cerebral palsy treatment alone.
Sources for this story include: www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-boto... http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-....
Showing posts with label death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label death. Show all posts
Monday, June 7, 2010
Hospital tried to silence whistleblower; up to 1,000 patients may have died from negligence
(NaturalNews) A hospital trust where conditions were so bad that more than 1,000 patients may have died due to negligence actively tried to stop employees from raising concerns about patient safety, according to an inquiry conducted by the British Health Department.
"Staff have known about the problems on the wards for many years, but there has been no means by which they can bring them up," said a health official close to the inquiry. "Those who have tried to do so have been shot down. Some have been ordered to withdraw or hide their allegations."
One egregious case occurred following the death of John Moore-Robinson, a 20-year-old who was admitted to the hospital following a mountain bike accident in April 2006. He was discharged with painkillers and died less than 24 hours later from a ruptured spleen that health workers had failed to detect.
In his report on the incident, consultant Ivan Phair concluded that, "The premature death of Mr. Moore-Robinson in my opinion was an avoidable situation. I feel that an independent expert would criticize the management afforded to him by the staff. There is a high probability that the level of care delivered to Mr. Moore-Robinson was negligent."
The hospital's head of services, Kate Levy, then wrote to Phair asking him to remove these comments from his report in order to avoid "further distress to the family and adverse publicity." Phair's report was not included in data presented to the inquest following the death.
Another consultant, Pradip Singh, told the inquiry that he and several coworkers had complained to superiors about staff cuts and the ensuing reduction in standards of care. They were either ignored or ostracized as troublemakers.
According to Singh, the hospital suffers from a "palpable culture of intimidation." Data submitted to the inquiry note that the hospital's written policy on whistleblowers actively discourages employees from raising concerns.
Sources for this story include: www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jan....
"Staff have known about the problems on the wards for many years, but there has been no means by which they can bring them up," said a health official close to the inquiry. "Those who have tried to do so have been shot down. Some have been ordered to withdraw or hide their allegations."
One egregious case occurred following the death of John Moore-Robinson, a 20-year-old who was admitted to the hospital following a mountain bike accident in April 2006. He was discharged with painkillers and died less than 24 hours later from a ruptured spleen that health workers had failed to detect.
In his report on the incident, consultant Ivan Phair concluded that, "The premature death of Mr. Moore-Robinson in my opinion was an avoidable situation. I feel that an independent expert would criticize the management afforded to him by the staff. There is a high probability that the level of care delivered to Mr. Moore-Robinson was negligent."
The hospital's head of services, Kate Levy, then wrote to Phair asking him to remove these comments from his report in order to avoid "further distress to the family and adverse publicity." Phair's report was not included in data presented to the inquest following the death.
Another consultant, Pradip Singh, told the inquiry that he and several coworkers had complained to superiors about staff cuts and the ensuing reduction in standards of care. They were either ignored or ostracized as troublemakers.
According to Singh, the hospital suffers from a "palpable culture of intimidation." Data submitted to the inquiry note that the hospital's written policy on whistleblowers actively discourages employees from raising concerns.
Sources for this story include: www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jan....
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