Potent new painkiller could unleash new epidemic of addiction and abuse
December 31, 2011
Pharmaceutical
Four pharmaceutical companies have nearly finished creating a powerful new painkilling medicine made of pure hydrocodone that addiction experts warn could set off a new addiction epidemic if it wins U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. ... Read More
States come out in support of graphic ads on cigarette packs
December 30, 2011
Product Liability
Several states have come forward to say the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should be granted the authority to force cigarette companies to place gruesome ads on packages of cigarettes in an effort to warn consumers of the dangers of ... Read More
Family of Marine killed in sudden acceleration crash sues Toyota
December 29, 2011
Product Liability
The family of a Marine who served two tours of combat duty in Iraq only to be killed in Knoxville, Tennessee, when his Toyota Yaris suddenly sped out of control, is suing the carmaker. The new lawsuit is one of ... Read More
U.S. prosecutors prepare criminal charges against BP engineers
December 29, 2011
Environmental
“U.S. prosecutors are preparing what would be the first criminal charges against BP PLC employees stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident, which killed 11 workers and caused the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history,” the Wall Street Journal ... Read More
All-metal hip implant settlements could cost manufacturers $5 billion, analyst says
December 29, 2011
Pharmaceutical
An economic analyst and Forbes contributor estimates all-metal hip devices will ultimately cost Johnson & Johnson subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics and other manufacturers about $5 billion in legal fees and settlement costs. Orthopedic hip device manufacturers developed metal-on-metal hip replacements about ... Read More
Senator calls for FDA review of OTC energy inhaler
December 29, 2011
Product Liability
A New York senator is asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review the safety and legality of the AeroShot Pure Energy caffeine inhaler, a lipstick-sized canister of caffeine powder and B vitamins, which will hit store shelves in ... Read More
Birth control called ‘secondary cause of death’ in young woman taking Yaz
December 29, 2011
Pharmaceutical
It was mere hours after Rebecca Bapp called her parents to say that she wasn’t feeling well that the 21-year-old was dead. Mysteriously, her health declined so rapidly even doctors were baffled by what was making her so ill. Not ... Read More
Court subpoenas BP exec for February trial
December 28, 2011
Environmental
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier has subpoenaed Lamar McKay, BP’s highest-ranking U.S. executive, to testify at the forthcoming trial in New Orleans that will determine liability for 206-million-gallon oil spill that erupted in the Gulf of Mexico last year. ... Read More
Florida heart transplant flight crash kills three
December 28, 2011
Product Liability
A medical transport flight carrying a donor heart to a recipient in Jacksonville, Florida, crashed into a wooded area of north Florida around 6:00 Monday morning, killing the pilot, a heart surgeon, and an organ procurement technician. ... Read More
FDA panel warns of elevated blood clot risk with patch, Yaz
December 28, 2011
Pharmaceutical
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel said Friday that the Ortho Evra birth control patch, made by Johnson & Johnson, should remain on the market despite an elevated risk for blood clots. The panel voted 19-5 in favor ... Read More