Houston Personal Injury Law Blog

Patients in Texas may have noticed that there seem to be a rash of compound pharmacies recalling medications. The Food and Drug Administration seems to be stepping up its inspections of compound pharmacies after a contaminated prescription drug caused hundreds of people to become ill in at least 20 states and 53 people to die so far. The latest recall is from Balanced Solutions Compound Pharmacy, LLC.

This compound pharmacy has recalled not only some, but all of its sterile products due to possible contamination. According to testing by the FDA, the unidentified black particles present in what were supposed to be sterile vials have turned out to be Gram-negative bacteria. Anyone using a contaminated product is at a higher risk of contracting an infection. Consumers may want to visit the FDA's website to see if they are using a medication that is the subject of this or any other recall.

An intersection on Texas Highway 77 became the scene of a tragedy recently. The two vehicle accident ended up sending two people to the hospital. One later died. The driver that caused the accident may find a wrongful death claim filed against him or her.

Both vehicles were traveling south on Highway 77 at the time of the accident. As the two vehicles approached a stop light, the motorcycle in front of the pickup truck came to a stop. The pickup truck did not stop and slammed into the back of the motorcycle.

Patients in Texas may be interested to know that the Food and Drug Administration has received reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that five people that have contracted an eyeball infection that may end up blinding them. The prescription drug is distributed by a compounding company in the southeast. The company, Clinical Specialties Compounding Pharmacy, has been toured by the FDA and there are concerns regarding the company's sterility practices.

The drug in question is Avastin, which is an intravenous cancer drug. Some physicians have been using the medication in what is called an "off-label" manner to treat severe cases of macular degeneration. The reason it's considered off-label is because the use of Avastin for the treatment of macular degeneration has not been approved by the FDA. Doctors are using the medication as a lower cost alternative to the drugs currently approved by the FDA.

A man has been released on bond after having been charged in the death of one person and the serious injury of two others in an accident on Nov. 12 of last year. The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested the man after determining that his blood alcohol was above the legal limit at the time of the accident. In addition to the criminal charges against him, the man could also end up in civil court facing a wrongful death claim and personal injury claims from the occupants of the other vehicle involved in the accident.

The investigation conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety determined that the man was driving a pickup truck on U.S. Highway 69 when he attempted to negotiate a left turn. As he made the turn, he slammed into the driver's side of a van. The driver of the van was fatally injured during the crash and pronounced dead at the scene. Two passengers in the van were taken to an area hospital to be treated for unspecified injuries.