› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
More than 40 drug development programs have transdermal systems, or drug patches, under development for either initial approval or expanded indications, according to Pharma Live. But can consumers trust their safety record?
Johnson & Johnson, the makers of the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch for women, has agreed to settle lawsuits filed by Canadian women who suffered from blood clots, heart attacks or strokes after using the patch. The drug maker avoided trial by spending more than $68 million to settle similar claims by women in the United States, according to Bloomberg.
Students at Texas Christian University (TCU) now have access to more affordable contraceptives through the university’s Health Center, according to the TCU news Web site Daily Skiff. The Health Center negotiated a contract with drug companies to offer the discounted rates to students requesting contraceptives such as Ortho Tri-Cyclen and the Ortho Evra Contraceptive Transdermal Patch.
Drug maker Johnson & Johnson is recalling another one of its patches, the Duragesic fentanyl pain patch. According to BNet Business Network, the fentanyl patch is highly addictive and has been linked to deaths caused by the patches to leak too much medicine into the body.
The FDA approved a label change to Johnson & Johnson’s Ortho Evra birth control patch on January 18, 2008. The patch has been known to cause blood clots which can lead to pulmonary embolism and death. The label change comes after testing revealed women on the patch between the ages of 15-44 are at a higher risk for pulmonary embolism.
