Merck's Vioxx Study: Sewing the Seeds of Deception

A lot has been written about big pharmaceutical companies and the devastating aftermath caused by their dangerous drugs unleashed in this country.  Unfortunately there hasn't been nearly enough press about the deplorable tactics employed by these companies to put profits over people.

Apparently, the drug giant, Merck & Co., conducted a so-called scientific study prior to its market release of the deadly painkiller, Vioxx, which has since been withdrawn from the market.  The study, called ADVANTAGE, was peddled to participating doctors and their patients as research to show whether Vioxx caused fewer stomach problems than the older, less expensive drug, naproxen.  The published story did, in fact, indicate that Vioxx was better tolerated.

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Update on Sherman Bus Crash

There has been a lot of publicity about the devastating Sherman, Texas bus crash that happened Friday, August 8, killing 17 people and injuring dozens of others.  The Vietnamese Catholic group was headed to Carthage, Missouri to attend an annual religious festival, and sadly, their lives changed forever on the tragic journey.

As mentioned in a previous entry, the bus was operating illegally, and was owned by Iguala BusMex Inc., a Houston company that also operates as Angel Tours, Inc.  Immediately following the crash, federal officials ceased operations of both firms owned by Angel De La Torre of Houston.  Now due to further investigation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Liberty Charters and Tours of San Antonio was also banned from operation, as it uses buses considered unsafe that are owned and maintained by Angel Tours, Angel De La Torre and/or Iguala BusMex.  According to the order, "Angel De La Torre places its drivers and the motoring public at continued and substantially increased risk of serious injury or death."  Apparently, Liberty had also been cited for multiple safety violations this year alone. Investigations have uncovered that companies in South Texas operate under different names but often share or lease buses with each other.

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Putting the Brakes on Bus Accidents

I recently wrote about the tragic Sherman bus crash that occurred last Friday.   Now we can add two other major bus crashes to the list.  On Thursday, August 7th, a bus carrying workers to a casino in Primm, Nevada drove off a freeway, crashed into a guardrail and caught fire.  At least 25 people were injured, with three in critical condition.  On Sunday, August 10th, a Harrah's Casino bus was carrying 43 people from Tunica, Mississippi to the airport when it flipped over into a median at an intersection in Tunica, Mississippi. Three women were killed and 27 others were hospitalized.
 

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Sherman Bus Crash on Friday

My heart goes out to the victims and families of the tragic bus crash that occurred in Sherman yesterday, killing at least 16 people to date and injuring dozens of others.  The bus carried 55 members of a Vietnamese Catholic group on its way from Houston to Carthage, Missouri for an annual religious festival.  The passengers rested peacefully on their journey until just after midnight on Friday morning.  Then in a horrific twist of fate, the bus suddenly smashed into a guardrail, rolled off a bridge and fell twelve feet down an embankment near the Texas-Oklahoma state line.

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Law Quadrangle Notes Interview


I recently had the privilege of being interviewed for an article in the 2008
issue of the Law Quadrangle Notes published by my alma mater, the University
of Michigan Law School
. The article is below:
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2008 DiversityFIRSTTM Award Winner

I am honored to be named by the Texas Diversity Council as a winner of the 2008 DiversityFIRSTTM Award.  The purpose of this award is to "recognize and celebrate outstanding accomplishments and sustained commitment by an Individual, Community Organization, Business, Corporation and/or Non-Profit Group in the area of promoting appreciation for diversity, inclusion, and cultural understanding in the workplace that fits within the stated purposes and reflects the goals and/or mission of the Texas Diversity Council." Continue Reading...

Angel Reyes Recognized as Emerging Hispanic Leader in Dallas

Angel Reyes has been recognized as an emerging Hispanic leader in Dallas.  The article below is from the Spanish language version of the Dallas Morning News, Al Dia. Continue Reading...

Losses Due To ARS Market Disintegration

Over the past few months, the Auction Rate Securities (ARS) markets have suffered a $350 billion market disintegration. Many companies have been forced to write-down their losses due to investments in ARS. The February 2008 collapse of the ARS market affected companies of all sizes and levels of ARS investment. It also affected many individuals who thought that an investment in ARS was safe and secure. Individual investors saw their assets frozen, and most are unable to access their accounts. Companies and individuals lost hundreds of millions of dollars in ARS, even though brokers marketed them as safe, secure, liquid investments.

In fact, this market disintegration has widened to include the State of New York, which, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, filed civil fraud charges on July 24, 2008 against UBS AG, accusing the firm of a "multibillion-dollar consumer and securities fraud," and demanding that the firm pay back its profits from the business, make investors whole and pay damages.
My firm, Heygood, Orr, Reyes, Pearson & Bartolomei has helped many investors recover their losses from ARS investments.  If you’re one of those investors, give me a call at 1.877.308.7900 or email angel@reyeslaw.com for a confidential assessment of your claim.

For more information on ARS losses, read the following Wall Street Journal articles below:
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Car Safety Advocate's Plea For Preventing Children's Hyperthermia Deaths

The following are a letter from Janette Fennell, Founder and President of KidsandCars.org, and the KidsandCars.org newsletter. It’s astounding how many children have been killed as a result of non-traffic accidents this year.  I can’t fathom how anyone could leave their children in a hot car on a smoldering summer day, but apparently these accidents are still prevalent in this country.  Janette’s plea is a kind one; she assigns no blame. Rather, she chooses to educate and urge us to be on the lookout for children or pets left in cars, and work towards viable solutions for this growing problem.
Hello:
 
This has been a very difficult summer.  So many precious little lives have been lost.  Unfortunately there have been 23 hyperthermia deaths already this year, 48 backover deaths and a total of 110 children killed due to nontraffic incidents.  Despite our efforts and accomplishments, children are still being harmed in and around motor vehicles. 
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Update on Pharmaceutical Giant, Actavis Totowa LLC

I recently posted an article about the Actavis Totowa LLC recall of the drug Digitek, the #1 choice in the United States for treating congestive heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms.  This recall included Digitek tablets manufactured at the New Jersey Actavis facility because tablets may have been commercially released in the U.S. market with double the thickness of the normal sized tablets.  The flawed Digitek tablets could have twice the strength of the recommended dosage, and cause serious digitalis toxicity and even death.
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