Apr
Mad cow identified in American dairy animal
April 26, 2012The case of American mad cow disease reported Tuesday by the Department of Agriculture was the first in six years. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack maintained that the California dairy cow was never introduced into the food supply, either human or animal. The infection was discovered during routine, random testing mandated by the USDA. The variant [...]
Apr
Merck assessed additional fine in Vioxx case
April 23, 2012Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. has been ordered to pay a $321.6 million criminal fine for marketing the painkiller Vioxx for rheumatoid arthritis before the Food and Drug Administration had approved the medication for that use. The fine, ordered by US District Judge Patti B. Saris, will be added to a $628 million civil settlement [...]
Apr
Report: FDA to strengthen ongoing evaluation of drugs
April 23, 2012According to a news release from the Food and Drug Administration, a new report by the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) outlines a shift in the agency’s approach to evaluating drug safety, subjecting those approved, “postmarket” drugs to the same level of scrutiny as “premarket” drugs that have not yet received approval. [...]
Mar
New report links increasing numbers of foodborne illness to imports
March 16, 2012Fish and spices top a new list of imported foods linked with outbreaks of foodborne illness in the US in 2009 and 2010. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta presented the results of their study at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases on March 14. The study also found that almost [...]
Mar
Alabama Supreme Court ruling extends fetal wrongful death liability
March 15, 2012A recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court clears the way for parents to sue doctors over the death of unborn children, even if the fetus could not survive outside the womb. The ruling reverses an earlier trial court decision that said liability could not be extended to such cases. The case of Amy Hamilton [...]
Mar
Metal-on-metal hips found to have higher-than-average failure rates: study
March 14, 2012A new study published in The Lancet medical journal confirms fears that metal-on-metal artificial hips are more prone to failure than other types of implant. In the case of metal-on-metal hips, this can mean that metal shavings are shed by the implant due to normal wear-and-tear. These shavings can then enter the bloodstream, exposing the [...]
Feb
Listeria outbreak traced to contaminated melons kills 34
February 24, 2012A listeria outbreak in Colorado linked to contaminated cantaloupes has claimed another victim. Mike Hauser, a 68-year-old retired podiatrist, fell ill in November. He suffered from seizures and lapsed into a coma from which it was not certain that he would recover; however, he eventually regained sufficient strength to leave the hospital. But an apparent [...]
Feb
Legionnaire’s Disease claims Italian woman
February 19, 2012The Lancet reports that an 82-year-old Italian woman has died from Legionnaire’s Disease, which she contracted from water in her dentist’s office. Scientists investigating the case reached their conclusion due in part to the apparent fact that the woman did not leave her home except to visit the dentist during the disease’s incubation period. Tests [...]
Feb
Alabama affected by egg recall
February 8, 2012Alabama is one of over a dozen states affected by a recall of cooked eggs in brine believed to be contaminated with listeria. Michael Foods, based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, issued the recall. The egg batch was mainly sold in pails weighing 25 pounds, intended for institutional use. The affected brand names are: Columbia Valley Farms; [...]
Jan
Help protect your loved ones from nursing home abuse, neglect
January 24, 2012For many among the elderly, the decision to enter a nursing home or similar assisted care facility can be extremely difficult. It may represent for them an irretrievable loss of freedom and independence, and an admission that they are no longer able to care for themselves. Unfortunately, unscrupulous individuals sometimes choose to take advantage of [...]
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