The Law Offices of Sybil Shainwald, P.C.
(212) 425 - 5566
Breaking News
Breaking News
Senator John F. Kerry delivers the 2012 Sidney Shainwald Public Interest Lecture at New York Law School on March 2.
Introduced by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-Massachussetts), Senator Kerry's speech "The American Challenge in the Twenty-First Century" focused on the importance of global economic competitiveness. What will it take for the U.S. to create jobs, become energy independent, and out-compete, out-educate and out-innovate the rest of the world and win in the global economy?
Contact Information
The Law Offices
of
Sybil Shainwald, P.C.
200 West 57th Street, Suite 402
New York, New York 10019
Tel: (212) 425 - 5566
Fax: (212) 608 - 5863
Defective Drugs, Devices & Procedures
Lap Band Surgery Alert
The Lap Band is a type of weight loss surgery that alters the actual size of your stomach. It is dangerous and being targeted to women. The surgery is portrayed as being simple and having few risks, but this is not the case.
We are aware of at least three recent death cases that have been filed. In Neelu Pal v. New York University, a doctor here in New York gave the facts regarding the dangers of the procedure. It was shown that the level of expertise, preparation, and care has been substandard. Women who do not fit the criteria are still receiving the surgery.
Do not have this surgery and contact us if you have any questions.
DES
(diethylstilbestrol)
DES is a synthetic oral form of estrogen that was prescribed to pregnant women from 1938 through 1971 to prevent miscarriages. DES was a wonder drug prescribed in the mistaken belief that higher estrogen levels could prevent miscarriage. It was also given to mother’s as vitamins to make stronger, healthier babies. The popularity of this drug spread throughout the United States, to Canada, Europe, Australia, and beyond.
The drug, synthesized from a coal-tar derivative, was never patented and numerous pharmaceutical companies began production of DES without first conducting any long-term studies. The letters “DES” are short for diethylstilbestrol, but DES includes a number of similar compounds that were marketed under different names, including Desplex, Stibestrol, Stibetin, Estrobene, and Dienestrol; the names varied depending on the pharmaceutical company manufacturing or selling DES.
In 1954, the first controlled study of DES efficacy revealed that the drug did not work to prevent miscarriages; however, it was not until 1971 that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned DES for use during pregnancy because it was found to be associated with a rare form of vaginal and cervical cancer in women exposed to DES in utero. The implications were terrifying: millions of young people might experience disease, after an unknown period of time, from exposure before birth to a carcinogenic presriction drug. However, the horrors did not stop with cancer, DES also causes a wide range of reproductive tract injuries as well as infertility.
Some common side effects of in utero DES exposure include:
• Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma
• Infertility
• Paraovarian Cist
• Miscarriage
• Ectopic Pregnancy
• Structural Abnormalities of the Reproductive Organs
• Breast Cancer
• Uterine Fibroids
• Endometriosis
If you took DES while pregnant, tell your children about the DES exposure. Even if your children have not yet had health problems, it is important that they know that they were exposed to this harmful drug so they can get the proper medical treatment. If you know that you were exposed to DES, please consult your physician.
Sybil Shainwald and her staff are the nationally recognized leaders fighting for justice and restitution for those who have been injured by DES. If DES-exposure has injured you, please contact our office to discuss your legal options.