Sarah May

With over a decade of experience practicing law, Sarah May now devotes her professional energies to freelance writing on a wide array of legal topics for Drug Reporter. Focusing on dangerous drug lawsuits, FDA warnings and new studies highlighting the risks of popular pharmaceuticals, Ms. May hopes to raise awareness about the threats consumers often face due to negligent manufacturing and marketing practices on the part of the manufacturers of such products.

ISMP Report Emphasizes High Incidence of Xarelto Injuries

July 13, 2016 By: Sarah May Xarelto

A review of adverse event reporting to the FDA in 2015 conducted by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) has revealed that Xarelto (rivaroaban) and its side effects were connected to more cases of serious harm than any other drug included in the survey. The next-generation anticoagulant drug came... Read more »

Study Suggests Risperdal Boosts Childhood Diabetes Risk

February 3, 2016 By: Sarah May Risperdal

A report recently published in the renowned JAMA Psychiatry journal indicates that children who are given antipsychotic drugs including Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa may experience a greater likelihood of developing diabetes than those who have not been prescribed those medications to treat their mental health conditions. The study, conducted by doctors from... Read more »

Study Suggests Xarelto Presents Greater Risk for Kidney Patients

January 6, 2016 By: Sarah May Xarelto

According to recently-released research findings, next-generation blood-thinning drug Xarelto may pose additional risk to patients who are already suffering from kidney disease. The study, based on data taken from the Department of Defense electronic medical records system, found that those with existing kidney ailments were significantly more likely to experience... Read more »

Antidepressants During Pregnancy Boosts Autism Risk, Study Shows

January 4, 2016 By: Sarah May Antidepressants

A new study released by Professor Anick Berard from the University of Montreal has revealed that pregnant women who take antidepressants during the second and/or third trimester ultimately increase the likelihood that their children will receive an autism diagnosis by the time they reach the age of 7. According to the... Read more »

FDA Accused of Lax Oversight in Pradaxa Approval Process

October 30, 2015 By: Sarah May Pradaxa

A new report from the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) includes serious criticisms of the FDA and the process through which it approved Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim’s widely used, yet highly controversial anticoagulant drug. The comprehensive review of Pradaxa’s path to the American market accuses the regulatory agency of being “lax,... Read more »

Invokana Targeted in Canadian Class Action Lawsuit

September 30, 2015 By: Sarah May Invokana

Already the subject of increasing controversy in the United States, next generation diabetes drug Invokana is now the target of a newly-filed class action lawsuit in Canada. Filed at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the lawsuit alleges that Jannsen’s treatment for Type 2 diabetes poses a serious risk of kidney... Read more »

New Zofran Lawsuit Alleges Heart Abnormalities Due to Drug

August 29, 2015 By: Sarah May Zofran

Adding to the growing docket of Zofran birth defect lawsuits is a new complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California by a mother who alleges that her young daughter’s heart malformations and resulting health difficulties are attributable to exposure to the anti-nausea drug... Read more »

Judge Gives Green Light to Conspiracy Claim in Talcum Powder Lawsuit

January 16, 2015 By: Sarah May Talc

With a potentially massive wave of litigation building relating to the suspected link between talcum power and cancer, a federal judge has given the green light to a plaintiff’s conspiracy claim against pharmaceutical and personal care product manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. This development may give rise to much greater scrutiny... Read more »

Judge Determines Bellwether Process for Non-AndroGel Testosterone Injury Lawsuits

January 6, 2015 By: Sarah May Testosterone

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly has prescribed a case management plan and process for preparing bellwether trials in testosterone injury lawsuits not involving AbbVie’s AndroGel product, but rather the various testosterone treatments marketed and sold by several other manufacturers. Judge Kennelly’s order further clarifies a specific area of distinction among... Read more »

Risperdal Gynecomastia Lawsuits Poised for Trial

October 24, 2014 By: Sarah May Risperdal

As the wave of lawsuits involving antipsychotic drug Risperdal continues to gain momentum, several key cases are slated for trial in the coming months in Pennsylvania state court. These suits involve allegations made on behalf of males who suffered excessive breast development after taking the medication in their youth. Johnson &... Read more »