CLASS ACTION SUIT against 5 drug companies • Patients diagnosed with NSF after being injected with contrast-agent • MRI • Never warned • side-effects

NATIONAL - 517 plaintiffs are suing "pharmaceutical companies that make certain dyes used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)." They were "diagnosed with nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF)...after being injected with a contrast-agent made with gadolinium." While "patients with healthy kidneys simply flush the gadolinium out," those "with NSF...describe their skin turning wood-like, eventually cracking."

The FDA "issued a warning in 2006 and 2007 not to administer the drug to those with kidney problems," but "gadolinium is still used in routine MRIs." The class-action suit "against five pharmaceutical companies that make gadolinium-based contrasting agents is getting larger as more and more are diagnosed with NSF."

Some claim that they were "never warned about the possible side-effect because the medical community was in the dark at the time."

Warning: Don't wear medication patches during MRI

WASHINGTON (AP) - Need an MRI scan? Tell the doctor if you use any kind of medication patch - from nicotine patches to hormone - releasing ones - or you risk a burn during the MRI. Patches that ooze medication through the skin are becoming more popular, and the Food and Drug Administration just discovered that not all of them carry the required MRI warning. Some drug patches contain aluminum or other metals in their backing, the part that makes them stick to the skin. It's just enough metal to conduct electricity, burning the skin. The FDA is issuing a public health warning after learning of some burned patients. The advice: Tell your doctor about any patches, so the professional can advise which should be removed and when.