Rayna E. Kessler, Esq.

J. Michael Pearson, the CEO of Valeant Pharmaceuticals said in an interview that “his company’s responsibility is to its shareholders, not the customers who rely on his drugs to live.” This is how misplaced the values of big pharma have become.

Big Pharma CEO: 'We're in Business of Shareholder Profit, Not Helping The Sick' Last July, Turing Pharmaceuticals' CEO Martin Shkreli became a lightning rod for growing outrage over soaring prescription drug prices after he raised the price of a newly-acquired drug from $13.50 to $750. But Shkreli, who

The FDA requested the recall of certain breast implants with textured surfaces due to risk of anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-takes-action-protect-patients-risk-certain-textured-breast-implants-requests-allergan

FDA takes action to protect patients from risk of certain textured breast implants; requests Allergan voluntarily recall certain breast implants and tissue expanders from market FDA requests Allergan voluntarily recall certain breast implants from market

Thank you to all the nurses out there.

For Nurses, Trauma Can Come With the Job As many as one in four nurses experience PTSD at some point in their careers.

FDA bans 28 ingredients from use in hand sanitizers. The most common ingredient, ethyl alcohol, was deferred for further studies to determine if it's safe and effective.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/11/health/hand-sanitizers-ingredients-safety-fda-rule-bn/index.html

The most common active ingredient in hand sanitizer is still under FDA investigation After reviewing the safety and effectiveness of hand sanitizers, the US Food and Drug Administration has ruled that dozens of active ingredients can't be used in the antiseptic rubs, but the agency still wants answers about the most common active ingredient.

Big pharma spent almost $4.5 billion on television advertising of prescription drugs last year.

Drug Prices on TV? They May Be Coming. The Trump administration has drafted a rule that would require drug makers to disclose their prices in television ads, but the industry fears sticker shock and is fighting back.

Pollution cases prosecuted by the EPA are the lowest number since 1988, when Ronald Reagan was president. During his campaign, Donald Trump called for doing away with the EPA, leaving only "little tidbits."

https://www.apnews.com/d72a4d3dfb584d15949c88917b48ddf9

EPA criminal action against polluters hits 30-year low WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency hit a 30-year low in 2018 in the number of pollution cases it referred for criminal prosecution, Justice Department data show. EPA said in a statement that it is directing "its resources to the most significant and impactful cases." But the 166...

We all love single stream recycling for its convenience, but have we ruined a good thing? New research shows the risk of contaminated recycling may be offsetting the gains in greater participation.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-era-of-easy-recycling-may-be-coming-to-an-end/

The Era Of Easy Recycling May Be Coming To An End For those of us who spent most of our lives painstakingly separating plastic, glass, paper and metal, single-stream recycling is easy to love. No longer must we…

America's largest cell phone carriers are selling real-time location data with little oversight to several private industries, including bounty hunters. This exposes ordinary citizens to surveillance by anyone.

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/nepxbz/i-gave-a-bounty-hunter-300-dollars-located-phone-microbilt-zumigo-tmobile

I Gave a Bounty Hunter $300. Then He Located Our Phone T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T are selling access to their customers’ location data, and that data is ending up in the hands of bounty hunters and others not authorized to possess it, letting them track most phones in the country.

Big pharma just raised drug prices at 4 times the rate of inflation.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/drug-prices-oxycontin-predaxa-purdue-pharmaceuticals-boehringer-ingelheim/

Big Pharma ushers in new year by raising prices of more than 1,000 drugs Consumers may have to pay more for a range of medications in 2019 as drugmakers boost their costs

I'm proud to begin 2019 as a principal at Robins Kaplan LLP. It's truly a privilege to represent such well-deserving clients and to preserve access to justice for individuals injured by defective medical devices, drugs and other catastrophic events. Thanks for your support and best wishes for the new year!

Robins Kaplan LLP Announces 2019 Partner and Principal Promotions Firm announces 2019 partners and principals ...

A Congressional Oversight Committee concluded that last year's Equifax breach was "entirely preventable," if only Equifax followed standard security measures. To date, there have been no penalties or prosecutions for the executives at Equifax for letting the sensitive financial information of 143 million consumers become stolen.

https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/10/equifax-breach-preventable-house-oversight-report/

Equifax breach was ‘entirely preventable’ had it used basic security measures, says House report A House Oversight Committee report out Monday has concluded that Equifax’s security practices and policies were sub-par and its systems were old and out-of-date, and bothering with basic security measures — like patching vulnerable systems — could’ve prevented its massive data breach la…

This is a revealing piece about how drug companies are able to pay physicians who publish in prestigious medical journals without disclosing their conflicts of interest to the physicians and researchers who rely on them.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/08/health/medical-journals-conflicts-of-interest.html

What These Medical Journals Don’t Reveal: Top Doctors’ Ties to Industry Academic research publications rely on doctors to voluntarily disclose their payments from drug and health companies in a lax reporting system some say is broken.

Kaiser Health News just published a new tool to use to explore how drugmakers seek to influence Congress. Overall, Congress has received $79 million from a large number of pharmaceutical PACs. They now reach record-breaking levels.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/reps-greg-walden-and-kevin-mccarthy-get-tons-of-money-from-big-pharma?via=ios

These Are the Politicians Who Get the Most Money From Big Pharma A new Kaiser Health News database, ‘Pharma Cash to Congress,’ tracks campaign donations from drugmakers over the past 10 years.

A nonprofit analysis reveals that some popular costume jewelry as well as metal sold with women's dresses and shirts were nearly pure cadmium, a known carcinogen.

https://www.apnews.com/63aa51c1f9d943d8844cfbf11fba84e8

AP Exclusive: Toxic metal found in chain stores' jewelry LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jewelry with the toxic metal cadmium is showing up on the shelves of national retailers including Ross, Nordstrom Rack and Papaya, according to newly released test results. Analysis done for the nonprofit Center for Environmental Health revealed some jewelry sold with women's dr...

This story is a sad example of how corporate arbitration clauses are destroying the right for victims of unlawful corporate conduct to access the justice system when they need it the most.

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/08/this-burrito-includes-an-arbitration-clause

This Burrito Includes an Arbitration Clause | Current Affairs Back in May, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis. The nation’s highest court decided that employers could force their employees to sign arbitration clauses at threat of their jobs, and that those arbitration clauses then prevented employees from suing collectively ...

"[N]early 70 percent of oncologists who speak at national meetings, nearly 70 percent of psychiatrists on the task force that ultimately decides what treatments should be recommended for what mental illnesses, and a significant number of doctors on Food and Drug Administration advisory committees have financial ties to the drug and medical device industries. As bioethicists have warned and as journal publishers have long acknowledged, not all of them report those ties when and where they are supposed to."

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/14/opinion/medicines-financial-contamination.html

Opinion | Medicine’s Financial Contamination Disclosure rules may seem arcane, but money corrupts medical research.

This is truly shameful for a corporation to sue more than 1,000 individual victims of the Mandalay Bay shooting massacre. Each victim deserved a right to privacy and to decide for themselves whether to pursue legal action. MGM Resorts' unconscionable actions should not be condoned by our legal system.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mgm-resorts-international-sues-more-than-1000-victims-from-las-vegas-mass-shooting-denying-any-liability/ar-AAAbjsV?ocid=st

MGM Resorts International sues more than 1,000 victims from Las Vegas mass shooting, denying any liability MGM Resorts International claimed in a new lawsuit that it has no liability in any of the injuries or deaths in the October mass shooting in Las Vegas. 

Valsartan manufactured by a Chinese pharmaceutical company is recalled amid FDA’s warning that the drug is tainted with a known carcinogen.

Blood Pressure Medicine Is Recalled The F.D.A. announced that batches of a widely used generic drug, valsartan, made in China, might be tainted with a probable cancer-causing ingredient.

Microsoft is urging Congress to regulate the proper use of facial recognition technology. Facial recognition is already being used across a range of industries, including private business and law enforcement. "As in so many times in the past, we need to ensure that new inventions serve our democratic freedoms pursuant to the rule of law."

https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2018/07/13/facial-recognition-technology-the-need-for-public-regulation-and-corporate-responsibility/?ranMID=24542&ranEAID=je6NUbpObpQ&ranSiteID=je6NUbpObpQ-kzvAECZrlZ8nxPW5KJytwA&epi=je6NUbpObpQ-kzvAECZrlZ8nxPW5KJytwA&irgwc=1&OCID=AID681541_aff_7593_1243925&tduid=(ir_2GQS6OUMSQAIwNYTg7QyTRNgUkjVTN0EvUb6XM0)(7593)(1243925)(je6NUbpObpQ-kzvAECZrlZ8nxPW5KJytwA)()&irclickid=2GQS6OUMSQAIwNYTg7QyTRNgUkjVTN0EvUb6XM0

Facial recognition technology: The need for public regulation and corporate responsibility - Microsoft on the Issues All tools can be used for good or ill. Even a broom can be used to sweep the floor or hit someone over the head. The more powerful the tool, the greater the benefit or damage it can cause. The last few months have brought this into stark relief when it comes to computer-assisted facial...

Internal marketing documents from the manufacturer of OxyContin show that the company tripled their marketing efforts even after telling Congress they learned of growing OxyContin abuse and drug-related deaths. https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-america-got-hooked-on-the-deadly-drug-oxycontin

Internal Documents: Purdue Pharma Knew OxyContin’s Risks, Pushed It Anyway Marketing records made public for the first time show the opioid maker was repeatedly warned about addiction and fatalities—but focused on telling doctors how to profit from it.

What a great event yesterday hosted by Robins Kaplan LLP. It was inspiring to meet Monika Bickert, one of a growing number of successful women in the tech industry.

Thank you to all who attended our Gender Diversity Working Group's event last night "The Role of Social Media in the Era of " with Head of Product Policy and Counterterrorism at Facebook Monika Bickert.

So proud of Patrick Arenz from Robins Kaplan LLP for becoming a finalist for Public Justice’s 2018 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award! The pro bono case resulted in a meaningful victory for victims of international s*x tourism.

Public Justice Announces Finalists for 2018 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award - Public Justice The four finalist cases for Public Justice’s 2018 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award include landmark cases dealing with fraud in medical equipment, discrimination in providing health insurance to same-s*x spouses, fraudulent debt collection, and child s*x tourism. The award celebrates and recognizes ...

Since 2012, there is a 25 percent rise of an ozone-depleting chemical whose levels are supposed to be at or near zero, suggesting someone is violating the 1987 Montreal Protocol, according to the Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/05/16/someone-somewhere-is-making-a-banned-chemical-that-destroys-the-ozone-layer-scientists-suspect/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.0224f1613a9c

Someone, somewhere, is making a banned chemical that destroys the ozone layer, scientists suspect It's an ozone mystery, as well as a threat to one of the planet's great environmental success stories.

60 Minutes investigated the corruption behind materials used in some medical devices and the FDA’s failure to keep us safe from such counterfeit products.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/boston-scientific-gynecological-mesh-the-medical-device-that-has-100000-women-suing/

Gynecological Mesh: The medical device that has 100,000 women suing A common surgical implant has generated the largest multi-district litigation since asbestos. 60 Minutes reports on one of the device's manufacturers, Boston Scientific, now facing 48,000 lawsuits

Mounting evidence shows that thirdhand smoke may be dangerous. The to***co residue remains on floors and months after people no longer smoked in the area and can spread quickly to non-smoking areas through air conditioning units.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/05/09/third-hand-smoke-is-widespread-and-may-be-dangerous-mounting-evidence-shows/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.48fb336a5c3c

Thirdhand smoke is widespread and may be dangerous, mounting evidence shows The residue left on surfaces by to***co smoke persists longer and spreads farther than expected, new studies show

I’m honored to receive this nice recognition from the New Jersey Law Journal!

This weekend I attended the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of a great new documentary called , available on Netflix this summer. Medical interventions have become the third leading cause of death, and the overwhelming majority of high-risk implanted devices never require a single clinical trial. The film features emotionally powerful stories of people whose lives have been permanently harmed, as well as those who advocate for their rights in court, including Adam Slater from Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman, LLC.

http://bleedingedgedoc.com/about/

About - The Bleeding Edge Academy Award nominated filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering turn their sights on the $400 billion medical device industry, examining lax regulations, corporate cover-ups, and profit driven incentives that put patients at risk daily.

"I feel like I'm dying": Women sounded alarm on Essure birth control device. Now the FDA is cracking down.

Essure is already subject to many lawsuits for the harm it’s causing women, and the FDA just required a unique restriction on its future use in women.

F.D.A. Restricts Sales of Bayer’s Essure Contraceptive Implant The agency said the device could only be sold by doctors who agree to warn women of the serious risks associated with it.

Congratulations to the entire Abilify litigation team on a great victory!

Federal and State Courts Deny Daubert and Kemp Motions and Set Stage for Abilify Trials Over Compulsive Behaviors Hundreds of Plaintiffs Nationwide Claim Drug Led to Compulsive Gambling, S*x, Eating...

In many states, prescription drugs may be cheaper when paying cash instead of through insurance companies. But pharmacists can’t tell you this because of gag clauses in their employment contracts.

Why Your Pharmacist Can’t Tell You That $20 Prescription Could Cost Only $8 States are moving to block “gag clauses” that prohibit pharmacists from telling customers that they could save money by paying cash for prescription drugs rather than using their health insurance.

https://www.statnews.com/2018/02/10/purdue-stop-marketing-opioids/

Purdue has agreed to stop visiting doctor's offices to push their opioid products. For decades, Purdue aggressively marketed these products through in-person marketing.

End of an era: Purdue to stop marketing opioids to doctors Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Oxycontin, said it would no longer actively market opioid products — a major about-face for a company increasingly viewed as a principal culprit in the country’s addiction and overdose crisis.

Too many companies are choosing to protect their public image over their employees by hiding behind sealed court records. You can help to ensure corporations can't use secrecy to avoid accountability. Learn more about court secrecy and join Justice in saying: : Time’s Up for companies that hide the truth about s*xual harassment.

Fighting court secrecy helps protect those facing s*xual harassment or other misconduct—like dangerous products and deceptive business practices —by revealing dangers to the public, showing victims they are not alone, and exposing corporate wrongdoing so that bad actors can be held accountable.

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/let-them-speak/

Time’s Up for Companies That Hide the Truth About S*xual Harassment We are Public Justice, an organization fighting against court secrecy in order to protect those facing s*xual harassment and other corporate misconduct.

Despite the sprawling legal battles over the past 20 years, complaints to regulatory agencies, a U.S. Supreme Court case, and now finally an investigation, Goodyear's deadly RV tire is still on the road today. Hopefully court battles like this will encourage swifter action in the future.

https://jalopnik.com/how-goodyear-hid-evidence-of-the-worst-tire-made-in-his-1822200424

How Goodyear Hid Evidence Of 'The Worst Tire Made In History' Linked To At Least 9 Deaths In October 2003, Billy Wayne Woods and his family packed into a luxury $181,000 motorhome for a fun getaway to Florida. Call it a textbook American vacation: their destination was Disney World, and with his wife, Shirley, his son and daughter-in law and two grandchildren in tow, the trip would surel...

In 2006, the FDA added a precaution to the label of Tamiflu, warning of reports that the drug is associated with neurological and behavioral symptoms that can include hallucinations, delirium and abnormal behavior.

Girl, 6, Suffers Frightening Side Effects After Taking Tamiflu A North Texas family says their daughter's side effects from the popular drug Tamiflu were beyond what they ever could have imagined - and left them saying never again.

With millennials expected to make up half the workforce by 2020, law firms are becoming more multigenerational. This article is a refreshing look at some millennial stereotypes.

http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/millennial_stereotypes_these_lawyers_object

Millennial lawyers are forging their own paths—and it's wrong to call them lazy MYTH NO. 2: THEY'RE SLACKERSKnight’s eagerness to strike out on her own is hardly an anomaly for this generation. Perhaps more than any other trait, a willingness to leap into

“Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers.”
- Kahlil Gibran

May the peace and joy of the holidays be with you today and throughout the New Year.

Congratulations to an excellent trial team and win for their client!

Jury orders Bayer, J&J to pay $28 million in Xarelto lawsuit A Philadelphia state court jury on Tuesday ordered Bayer AG and Johnson & Johnson to pay $27.8 million to an Indiana couple over the drugmakers' failure to warn of internal bleeding risks from their blood thinner Xarelto.

Even former presidents have jury duty!

Obama Expected to Report for Jury Duty in Illinois Next Month The chief judge of the Cook County Circuit Court, which includes Chicago, said the former president “made it crystal clear” he intended to fulfill his civic duty.