Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Wyeth, Inc. and Schwarz Pharma Inc. have been dismissed from a lawsuit filed in Texas involving the drug company’s Reglan (metoclopramide), a medicine used to treat gastrointestinal conditions. The lawsuit alleged that the drug caused the plaintiff to develop a severe movement disorder known as Tardive Dyskinesia. However, the case will proceed against Activis-Elizabeth, L.L.C., makers of a generic version of metoclopramide that the plaintiff was taking.

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Surgery was all Mary Carter could hope for. The 27-year-old lover of food wanted to be able to eat again. But after a brief illness, she was unable to eat without becoming ill. She suffered from gastroparesis, a condition in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. It can cause serious problems for sufferers, including dehydration and malnutrition.

When we first told you about Mary, she was gearing up for an innovative surgery that would place a device called the Enterra into Mary’s abdomen. Her doctor, Richard McCallum, founding chair at the Paul Foster School of Medicine at Texas Tech University, called it a very powerful anti-nausea, anti-vomiting tool. For Mary, it was a glimmer of hope. “Even if my symptoms got 50 percent better, it would be a huge change in my day,” she said. 

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If 27-year-old Mary Carter had her wish, she would be a food critic. But instead of enjoying lavish meals in fine restaurants, she gets her nutrition through a feeding tube. Mary remembers when her life changed so dramatically. It was August 1, 2006, and she was driving in her car. She began to feel nauseous, her heart raced, and her vision became blurry. From that moment on, everything she put in her mouth she would vomit up.

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Findings from a new study on the causes of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may lead to new way of treating the condition. According to a team of researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, GERD, which causes painful chest pain and heartburn, may be caused by immune system cells causing inflammation. The study showed that gastroesophageal reflux in rats causes tissue in the esophagus to release immune chemicals called cytokines. Those cytokines attract inflammatory cells that cause the uncomfortable symptoms associated with heartburn and GERD.

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A new medical center specializing in gastrointestinal disorders is opening in El Paso, Texas, offering hope to patients throughout the country who suffer from debilitating symptoms. The new center is a collaborative effort between the University Medical Center of El Paso and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. Called the Center for Gastrointestinal Motility and Functional Bowel Disorders, the center will diagnose and treat people who have problems digesting food.

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Kecia Neal of Arkansas was prescribed Reglan in 2005 to help her overcome a medical condition that involved the paralysis of stomach muscles. What she didn’t expect is for the medication to make her even sicker.

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