- Scott Kappes | September 27, 2007 12:13 PM |
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MiscellaneousKolcraft has issued a voluntary recall of some 425,000 infant play yards in response to a strangulation death of an infant. The restraint strap for the changing table forms a loop and hangs down into the play yard area can strangle a child. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has receive one report of a 10-month old that was strangled by the strap. Twelve different models are covered under...
- Scott Kappes | September 26, 2007 5:22 PM |
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MiscellaneousI read a very odd story in the Chronicle today about a Texas man who is suing a medical technology company and several tissue processes sing businesses. In 2005 James Livinston underwent surgery to implant a bone in his neck to relieve persistant back pain. It was later discovered that the bone was stolen from a corpse. Livingston has now filed a lawsuit in New York and is monetary compensation...
- Scott Kappes | September 25, 2007 9:07 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThe shooting death of Dallas musician Carter Albrecht has gotten quite a bit of attention throughout the U.S. media. The Castle Doctrine has been the main focal point associated with Albrecht's death, but concerns about the prescription stop smoking aid Chantix have also gotten nation wide attention. Albrecht's girlfriend has alleged that Chantix had to play a significant role in the psychotic...
- Scott Kappes | September 24, 2007 2:28 PM |
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MiscellaneousIt appears as though the non-stop barrage of toy recalls has subsided and toy makers are now looking to rebuild the trusting relationship they once had with consumers. The big retail stores have stripped the recalled toys from their shelves and parents have gotten them out of the house. The only problem is where some of the toys have ended up, resale stores. Second-hand resale stores have always...
- Scott Kappes | September 21, 2007 1:23 PM |
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MiscellaneousYesterday the FDA issued a warning to consumers and caregivers citing the presence of Cryptosporidium infection in the apple flavor of Baby Bliss Water. This water contains an herbal supplement used to ease the gas and stomach discomfort associated with colic, hiccups, and teething in infants. The FDA is currently investigating an incident involving a 6-week-old infant that consumed the tainted...
- Scott Kappes | September 20, 2007 3:48 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsCephalon, the makers of the powerful painkiller Fentora issued letters last week reinforcing prescription and dosage information. The so-called "Dear Doctor" letters were sent out in response to the news that four deaths had been linked to the extremely powerful painkilling lozenge. Cephalon could be in store for further labeling revisions in the near future if more cases of this sort are...
- Scott Kappes | September 19, 2007 4:33 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThe stop smoking medication Chantix has been getting some unwanted attention recently in the media. Claims of Chantix causing some very strange and intense side effects have been surfacing quite a bit after the Labor Day shooting of Dallas musician Carter Albrecht. His girlfriend's neighbor tragically shot and killed Albrecht after he apparently tried to kick the door in of his house early Labor...
- Scott Kappes | September 18, 2007 12:25 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsLast week Cephalon, the makers of the powerful painkiller Fentora issued warning letters to doctors about the risks of prescribing Fentora for off-label uses. The letters comes after four deaths were linked to off-label use of the drug. The labeled use for Fentora is to treat breakthrough pain patients with cancer who are already receiving and are tolerant of opioid therapy. This is where the...
- Scott Kappes | September 17, 2007 10:26 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsFour deaths this summer have been linked to the cancer pain medication Fentora. Cephalon Inc., the drug's maker, has sent letters to doctors warning of these deaths. Fentora is an extremely powerful and addictive opiate approved by the FDA to treat pain in cancer patients. Doctors, however, are prescribing the drug for "off-label" uses, like headaches and back pain. The company is accused of...
- Scott Kappes | September 14, 2007 2:15 PM |
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MiscellaneousWith the recent onslaught of toy recalls retail giant Toys R' Us has developed a new toy safety website, www.toysrus.com/safety. The CEO of the company says that he understands the concerns of consumers and want to reassure them that Toys R' Us is doing all they can to ensure product safety. Within the past 2 months Mattel and other toy makers have recalled almost 20 million toys due to safety...
- Scott Kappes | September 13, 2007 3:09 PM |
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Wrongful DeathYesterday a jury handed down a $1.5 million verdict to the family of Aurilano Salas for a wrongful death lawsuit that was filed after his 2001 death. The verdict was only 15 percent of the $10 million that the plantiffs attorney suggested as "reasonable compensation." Salas was had no spleen and suffered from many life threatening conditions. He became ill at work and was transported to Christus...
- Scott Kappes | September 12, 2007 2:49 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsA rare disease has been linked to gadolinium based contrast agents used to enhance MRI images. Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a debilitating disease characterized by widespread tissue fibrosis. While it has not been definitively proven that gadolinium agents cause NSF it is estimated that 90-95 percent of NSF cases have received gadolinium agents within a couple of months prior to...
- Scott Kappes | September 11, 2007 9:50 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThe recent shooting death of former Paul Simon keyboardist, Carter Albrecht, has raised some issues about the quit smoking aid Chantix. The bizarre circumstance and claims made by the people at the scene intrigued me so I have been looking for other related posts. It turns out that I am not the only person interested in this topic and that there are several claims that make me more suspicious...
- Scott Kappes | September 10, 2007 10:06 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsLast Monday morning at about four o'clock in the morning keyboardist, Carter Albrecht, was fatally shot and killed by his girlfriend's neighbor after apparently trying to kick in his door. Albrecht had gotten into a confrontation with his girlfriend in which he struck her in the face several times and hit her in the back after she had fallen down. She somehow locked him out of the house at which...
- Scott Kappes | September 07, 2007 10:40 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsYesterday the New Jersey Supreme Court gave Vioxx maker, Merck a gift. The ruling decertified a class action suit that had been approved by two lower courts. The Court decided that class action was not the appropriate way to deal with the cases brought about on behalf of insurance companies that seek to recoup payments they made for the drug that was recalled in 2004.This is a huge victory for...
- Scott Kappes | September 06, 2007 9:20 AM |
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MiscellaneousThe FDA has required manufacturers of a specific contrast agent used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to post a new "black box" warning on the product. A "black box" warning is the highest level of warning that the FDA can issue. The warning is a result of hundreds of cases of a rare but dangerous skin disease being reported in association with gadolinium-based contrast agents. These agents...
- Scott Kappes | September 05, 2007 9:17 AM |
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MiscellaneousToday the world's largest toy maker, Mattel, announced yet another toy recall. This time they are recalling almost 850,000 toys due to excessive amounts of lead. The new recall includes 11 toys in all with such household names like Barbie involved yet again. This makes the total of Chinese-made recalled toys from Mattel in the past five weeks almost 21 million. The recall includes Barbie kitchen...
- Scott Kappes | September 04, 2007 2:46 PM |
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Wrongful DeathA southeast Texas woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the manufacturers of the floor buffer that she claims killed her husband. She believes that the buffer was unreasonably dangerous and these defects lead directly to the death of her husband. Anne Harper filed the suit against OPC/Floor Blazer and American Honda Motor Co. last Thursday alleging that the propane motor on the buffer...