Group Action Lawyers
Latest News & Updates

derby uni hiv scandal
September 06, 2017
Student nurses at the University of Derby told of possible blood contamination receive financial compensation with Group Action Lawyers

Our lawyers successfully helped former student nurses recover financial compensation for the University of Derby’s negligent actions that put them at risk of infection through blood contamination.

The cases were settled outside of court by our expert team of lawyers.

As soon as news broke of the scandal, we were on the case and offering our services to anyone affected. A number of individuals approached us for help and advice, and we took forward claims on a No Win, No Fee basis for individuals affected.
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gilead lawsuit
September 04, 2017
Gilead HIV medication lawsuit reinstated

Gilead Sciences Inc, a research-based biopharmaceutical company, has recently experienced a set-back with the lawsuit filed in 2011 against them that they may have considered to have ended.

A federal appeals court has recently reinstated the lawsuit that was brought by two whistle-blowers alleging that Gilead defrauded and misled the government, as the company allegedly didn’t disclose that their HIV medicines were contaminated, which consequently allowed them to reportedly falsify data to win marketing approval for the medicine.

This false information reportedly led federal healthcare programmes to pay billions of dollars for contaminated medicine, but the case was initially dismissed by the California Court.

Now, it’s back…
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traffic
September 01, 2017
Who is to blame for Tesla car crash in Minnesota?

A 58-year-old driver of a Tesla car was involved in a car crash in Minnesota on the 17th July 2017. The high tech vehicle, produced by Elon Musk’s Tesla car company, is installed with ‘self-driving’ technology that’s designed to assist drivers in their journeys with automatic driving capabilities.

However, they’ve come under huge scrutiny after a number of incidents have led to crashes that have fuelled calls that the technology just isn’t ready yet; and certainly isn’t safe.

In this incident, police authorities reported that the driver had “engaged the self-driving mode” when it “suddenly accelerated, causing the car to leave the road and overturn”.

So, was this human error or technological error?
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alert
August 30, 2017
Medtronic under greater scrutiny as more of its products run into problems

Medical device maker Medtronic have been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately. Priding itself as the “global leader in medical technology, services, and solutions”, Medtronic have been at the centre of a fair few recalls for defects and risks that have arisen from the use of their products.

In the latest issues, scrutiny has come from issues with their products and an alleged lack of warning for equipment incompatibility.
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pain relief tablets recall
August 28, 2017
Opioid lawsuits for overuse and addiction

Recently, we’ve seen a greater reliance on drugs from doctors, which include addictive painkillers like opioids. The addiction has been reported as a global epidemic, with the U.S. noting it as “the worst drug epidemic in U.S. history“.

Drug manufacturers and distributors have now found themselves in hot water as a result of the allegations.

At least 25 states in the U.S. have taken legal action against opioid manufacturers for the alleged unprecedented effect it has had on communities across America, and here in the U.K., we’re concerned we may be facing a similar epidemic.
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drugs
August 25, 2017
Depression and chronic pain relief drug, Duloxetine, recalled after failing tests

The drug Duloxetine, more commonly known as its brand name Cymbalta, is generally used to treat depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. It’s an active ‘serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor’, providing pain relief for patients with diabetes or sufferers from chronic or widespread pain.

The drug is commonly prescribed to people with arthritis and fibromyalgia. However, select batches of the Torrent Dutor Gastro-resistant Capsules have been recalled by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) because “out of specification results for dissolution were obtained during routine stability testing”.
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alert
August 23, 2017
14,000 Medtronic ventilators recalled

Regulators have reportedly issued a recall for a number of medical ventilators manufactured by Medtronic.

The company’s New Port HY70 and HT70 Plus ventilators are being recalled amidst concerns that the devices may suddenly shutdown or reset. There have so far been 12 reported cases whereby a reset was suddenly initiated without warning. Thankfully, no patients have yet suffered an injury!
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bvm medical alert
August 21, 2017
The reported danger of Intersurgical’s BVM resuscitation device

A reported manufacturing fault of a medical device has caused a great deal of concern within the healthcare industry. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a field safety notice to notify healthcare providers and users alike.

Due to a reported manufacturing fault, the Bag-Valve-Mask (BVM) manual resuscitation system could cause injury or even death as the valve may become stuck during storage, possibly resulting in the intended airflow not being delivered. Consequently, there may be a delay in the treatment.
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exploding airbags
August 18, 2017
Takata files for bankruptcy as a result of exploding airbag scandal

The Takata airbag recall is one of the biggest automotive recalls in history. The company started producing airbag inflators in the late 1990s, and around the year 2000, Takata discovered some of their airbag inflators weren’t functioning properly, and even found some had erupted during tests.

The first recorded incident reportedly happened in May 2004 where a driver’s side bag ruptured in a Honda Accord. It was not until half a decade later that Honda recalled more than 500,000 airbags for the defect to be rectified, and regulators didn’t start investigations until June 2014.

Now, the scale of the issue has resulted in the Japanese manufacturer filing for bankruptcy.
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alert
August 16, 2017
Medical device alert issued for Prismaflex Haemofiltration machines

A medical device alert has been issued warning hospitals and healthcare institutions that Prismaflex Haemofiltration machines are susceptible to software failure.

Machines manufactured by Baxter, and installed with the 6.10 version of software, may not compute information about syringe size and the brand of syringe used. As a result, the machine may revert back to default settings, which means it will work at the lowest possible plunger speed which may therefore lead to under-dosage.

When under-dosing occurs, a lack of anti-coagulants may be added to the blood. Without carefully measured anti-coagulants, the patient’s blood may then be at a high risk of clotting, which can of course lead to potentially serious consequences.
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