Power Morcellators
Advocacy
Dr. Amy Reed, Anti-Morcellator Advocate, Dies At 44
On May 24, physician and anti-morcellator advocate Amy Reed died from a rare type of uterine cancer that had been unearthed by a now-defunct medical procedure. Reed developed leiomyosarcoma after undergoing a hysterectomy with a power morcellator, a device used to remove uterine fibroids, in October 2013.
Reed was a mother to six children and a fierce advocate for medical device safety. Reed and her husband, surgeon Hooman Noorchashm, spearheaded a public campaign to inform women and other medical professionals about the risks of morcellation. Her work led the FDA to provide updated warnings against the use of power morcellation techniques, which has saved the lives of countless women nationwide.
Essure
Regulations
Bayer Pulls Essure Birth Control From Finland’s Health Markets
Bayer, the manufacturer of Essure, will stop distributing its product in Finland. Essure is a controversial birth control device linked to serious side effects. Citing business reasons, Bayer will officially discontinue distribution of the product on June 25.
In a release, Bayer announced that “the demand for Essure in Finland has been low and is constantly falling and no change is expected.” The decline in demand could be attributed to Finnish scientists contributing to the Fertility and Sterility journal, who said they couldn't confirm safety of the device. Advocacy efforts by the Finnish subgroup Essure Problems are also believed to be a cause for Essure's decline.
Vaginal Mesh
Legal
J&J Will Pay $2.16 Million To A Pennsylvania Woman Injured By Mesh
Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturers of a vaginal mesh medical device, will pay $2.16 million to an injured woman from Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia jury awarded a million-dollar settlement to the woman who, after having a Prolift mesh product implanted in 2006, experienced pelvic pain, pain during sex, recurrent incontinence and other side effects.
Manufactured by J&J’s Ethicon division, vaginal mesh is used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. Heard in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, the case is one of nearly 55,000 vaginal mesh cases filed against J&J.
Nursing Homes
Legislation
New Funding And Quality Assurance Bills Introduced In Texas Nursing Homes
New bills focusing on nursing home quality in the state of Texas have been approved by lawmakers. The bills, awaiting signatures from Gov. Greg Abbott, are set to improve nursing home funding and overall care. Additionally, the bills call for increased actions against any nursing homes caregivers who violate laws and cause harm to residents.
Backed by the AARP, the bills address funding for chronic health conditions (SB 1), provide stronger penalizations for violations (HB 2025), improve reports of financial exploitation (HB 3921), protect patients against surprise costs (SB 507 and HB 3276), help families transition out of hospital stays and into in-home care (HB 2425), and allow patients to communicate with their doctors digitally (SB 1107).
Eliquis
Studies
Research Shows Maximum Eliquis Dosage Recommended To Kidney Dialysis Patients May Not Be Safe
Eliquis, also known as apixaban, is the only blood thinner approved to treat patients with atrial fibrillation who are undergoing kidney dialysis. A study conducted by members of the American Society of Nephrology illustrated that the dosing recommended on the package may not be safe and effective.
Though the study is not conclusive, researchers found that a maximum dose of 2.5 mg twice daily is safer than a full dose of 5 mg twice daily. “It seems like the use of apixaban in HD patients is still an emerging science, but may not fall in line with that of the package insert recommendations,” Alexander Kantorovich, PharmD, BCPS, told Pharmacy Times.