DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. has been ordered to pay $4 million to settle allegations by the Oregon Department of Justice (ODOJ) that the medical device maker knowingly marketed faulty ASR XL metal-on-metal (MoM) hips.

The ASR XL all-metal hip device was intended to last 15 years, but studies showed the devices failed much sooner than expected. Data collected from the National Joint Registry of England in 2010 revealed that one in every eight patients (12 percent to 13 percent) had to undergo revision surgery within five years of receiving it.The hips have caused thousands of patients to experience pain, swelling, bone and muscle damage, and difficulty walking. More DePuy Must Pay Oregon $4 Million to Settle Allegations Related to its Marketing of ASR XL Hips

Companies are asking employees to sign overly restrictive nondisclosure agreements in growing numbers, many of which violate federal whistleblower laws, creating tense and threatening workplace environments.

Donna Busch, the former manager of environmental and nuclear safety at the Hanford nuclear processing plant in Washington State, is just one example of someone who found themselves jobless after speaking out against their employer, according to WashingtonPost.com. More An Increasing Number of Potentially Illegal Nondisclosure Agreements are Being Forced on Employees

Managed care company Humana has sued Medtronic Inc., accusing the company of falsely representing its Infuse bone growth device as safe and effective in spinal fusion surgeries.

Humana filed the lawsuit in federal court in Tennessee on Friday. The complaint alleges that Medtronic paid for academic literature that fraudulently portrayed Infuse as safe and effective for off-label uses. According to court documents, Humana said that Medtronic engaged in a “sophisticated and deeply deceptive marketing strategy” designed to expand the market for Infuse, by urging and compensating spine surgeons to use the device by over-emphasizing its benefits and downplaying its serious risks, Reuters reported. More Human Sues Medtronic, Accuses the Company of Falsely Representing its Infuse Bone Growth Product

A Georgia federal judge ruled Monday that a South Carolina couple who brought a class action against Atlas Roofing Corp. failed to adequately assert an economic loss from their purchase of Atlas Chalet shingles, as required under South Carolina law in order to prove strict liability or negligence for a product liability tort.

David and Patricia Dickson alleged in their complaint that the manufacturing process allowed moisture to enter the shingles, creating gas bubbles that expanded in the sun, blistering and cracking them, according to Law360.com. More Atlas Chalet Shingle Class Action Moves Forward

More than 6,500 reports of injuries related to Medtronic’s Infuse bone growth product have flooded into the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 2002. About 3,300 were registered with the agency’s medical device reporting system last year alone. Now, the company is settling as many cases as possible while patients await their day in court.

Medtronic told investors last week that it will pay $22 million to settle about 950 claims and is setting aside $140 million to settle future claims, according to MedPageToday.com. More Medtronic Tries to Settle Infuse Cases but Many Patients May Still See Their Day in Court

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. is not responsible for the death of a man who died in 2006 after taking the Type 2 diabetes drug Actos, a jury decided yesterday.

A lawyer for the family of William Whitlach, 57, urged the jury to award at least $10 million to his wife and children for pain, suffering, and financial losses caused by his death. During the closing arguments of the four-week trial, the attorney said Takeda continued to sell its Actos even though it knew caused bladder cancer in order to maximize returns before competing generic versions reached the market, BusinessWeek.com reported. More Chicago Jury Decides Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. is not Responsible for Man’s Bladder Cancer Death

They risked their lives for our country, but the government made no concessions for 40 U.S. veterans who died while waiting for medical appointments at Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system.

According to NYDailyNews.com, many of the deceased veterans were placed on secret waiting lists in an elaborate, cost-cutting scheme set up by Veterans Affairs managers in Phoenix who were trying to cover up the fact that between 1,400 and 1,600 veterans were forced to wait up to 21 months to see a doctor. More Phoenix VA’s Scheme to Save Face Over Long Wait Times Costs 40 U.S. Veterans Their Lives

The European Medicines Agency is reviewing testosterone medications after studies suggested the drugs may be linked to cardiovascular risks.

The European Union’s (EU) drug regulator will study the benefits and risks of testosterone products and conclude whether the marketing for the medications should be maintained, altered, suspended, or withdrawn, Bloomberg.com reported. More EU Regulators Reviewing Testosterone Medication Heart Risks

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has settled with 76 plaintiffs who alleged birth defects in the babies of women who took the anti-epilepsy and migraine drug Topamax during their pregnancies.

Judge Arnold New filed an order last Tuesday marking 76 of the cases as discontinued after receiving confirmation that the plaintiffs had reached settlement agreements with J&J’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit. Judge New is coordinating a mass tort docket of Topamax cases in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, according to Law360.com. More Janssen Pharmaceuticals Settles 76 Topamax Birth Defects Cases

A Vineland, New Jersey couple is suing Auxilium Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Philadelphia’s GlaxoSmithKline for an injury the husband alleges was caused by the companies’ testosterone replacement drug, Testim.

According to the complaint filed in Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court, Edwin Rios believed he was suffering from “Low T,” an alleged condition that causes symptoms such as low sex drive, fatigue, irritability, and loss of muscle mass. The complaint alleges that Auxilium and GlaxoSmithKline knew that a decrease in testosterone levels in men is a normal part of the aging process and that unnaturally restoring testosterone puts men at risk for cardiovascular events, according to PennRecord.com More Testosterone Therapy Allegedly Caused Heart Attack, Testim Lawsuit Filed