Class action launched against former dermatologist and 4 colleagues
A law firm has launched a class action against former dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon Daniel Lanzer and four other doctors who worked for Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery Services Pty Ltd (DCSS).
Maddens Lawyers says a class action has been commenced in the Victorian Supreme Court on behalf of patients “who have suffered loss or damage because of cosmetic surgery being performed at DCSS or by one or more of the defendants.”
The allegations are that the clinicians engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct and that cosmetic surgeries were not undertaken with an appropriate level of care and skill.
Complaints relate to procedures such as liposuction, otoplasty, face lifts, tummy tucks, treatments for lipodemia, breast augmentation and liposculpture.
Allegations include inadequate pre surgery consultations, botched results, a lack or complete absence of after care, psychological trauma, lasting physical deformities, nerve pain and numbness.
Daniel Lanzer trained as a specialist dermatologist but has surrendered his registration while an AHPRA investigation takes place.
Media reports says that more than 200 people from NSW, Victoria, Queensland and WA where DCSS ran clinics have registered interest in the class action.
Psoriasis congress report released
The International Psoriasis Council has released highlights of the proceedings of its 9th Psoriasis: from Gene to Clinic International Congress that was held in London in December 2021.
According to the IPC, the congress, which is held every three years included a focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with psoriasis, with reports on the implications for vaccination in psoriasis patients taking immunosuppressant and biologic medications.
The meeting also reported on the latest therapeutic innovations in psoriasis, especially biologics, with findings from trials of agents such as the anti-IL-36R monoclonal antibody, spesolimab in patients with generalized pustular psoriasis.
The report includes summaries of studies such as the randomized controlled CONDOR trial, which examined the efficacy of dose reduction in clinical response and regarding the formation of anti-drug antibodies, and discussions on topics such as the impact of IL-4/IL-13 blockade therapy in psoriatic disease.
The report can be downloaded from the IPC website.
Shingrix now available for shingles prevention in all over 18s
The non-live recombinant Varicella Zoster Virus vaccine Shingrix is now available on the private market for the prevention of shingles (herpes zoster) and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) in people aged 18 years who are at increased risk of shingles.
In June 2021 Shingrix was made available to people over the age of 50. According to GSK, the new approval of Shingrix was supported by a range of clinical trials in highly immunocompromised populations aged 18 years and older, including patients with solid tumours, haematological malignancies, HIV infection, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, and renal transplant patients on chronic immunosuppressive treatment.
The TGA has previously warned of the risks of live zoster vaccines in immunocompromised people after receiving reports of two deaths, The most recent case involved a man with arthritis who at the time of vaccination was taking hydroxychloroquine and a low dose of prednisolone, who died 3 weeks after receiving Zostavax.
Shingrix is given intramuscularly in two doses, six months apart.