September, 2008Philadelphia High School Student Dies from MRSA

A 17-year-old Philadelphia high school student has died after contracting a drug-resistant staph infection, officials said. Saalen Jones, a senior at Martin Luther King High School, died September 23, 2008 after developing the contagious infection known as methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA infections have increased in recent years, particularly among those who have been hospitalized, spent time in jail or prison, or in gyms and locker rooms, officials said. MRSA is also more common in poorer, urban neighborhoods, officials said.

Cadbury Recalls Chinese-Made Chocolate; Chemical Contamination Feared

British candy maker Cadbury has recalled 11 chocolate products made in China after tests found the candies contained melamine, a toxic industrial chemical that recently has been found in infant milk and other Chinese food products. Cadbury said the brands of candy, including Cadbury Eclairs and Dairy Milk chocolate, were distributed in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia. Melamine is a chemical used in the manufacturing of plastics, but it can be used to mimic food proteins and deceive food-quality tests, …

LexisNexis® Legal News Podcast for September 29, 2008

The 9th Circuit affirms a ruling in favor of Ivory Coast fruit operations over the use of certain fumigants, and, Georgia’s high court rules that carbon monoxide is a pollutant and not covered by insurance. Hear these and other stories from LexisNexis® Mealey’s™ Emerging Toxic Torts, Insurance and Class Actions publications. Copyright© 2008 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. For the latest litigation news headlines, go to www.lexisnexis.com/mealeys.

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Chinese-Made Instant Coffee and Tea Recalled Over Contamination Fears

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to drink Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products made in China because they may contain a potentially deadly chemical additive. Melamine, a toxic chemical used in the manufacturing of plastics that can be used to cheat food quality checks by imitating food protein, may be found in the beverages. The chemical has already been detected in Chinese-made candy, buns, and carton milk, officials said. The coffee and tea …

FDA Looking Into Link Between Anemia Drug and Deaths

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether a Johnson & Johnson anemia drug increases the chance of death in stroke patients. A German medical study found that 16 percent of stroke patients treated with the drug, Eprex, died within three months of taking the drug, compared to just nine percent who died after receiving a placebo.  The study was designed to test whether Eprex might improve brain function in stroke patients, which is an unapproved use of the …

LexisNexis® Legal News Podcast for September 26, 2008

A New York hospital will pay $89 million to settle whistle-blower and fraud claims, and, a number of NFL players say an investment firm withheld information and perpetuated a company’s fraud. Hear these and other stories from LexisNexis® Mealey’s™ Antitrust report, California Section 17200 and Insurance Fraud publications. Copyright© 2008 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. For the latest litigation news headlines, go to www.lexisnexis.com/mealeys.

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CPSC Podcast 09/26/08

In-home drowning prevention – September 26, 2008

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Boston Scientific Earns FDA Approval for Next Generation of Drug-Eluting Stents

Boston Scientific Corp. has won U.S. regulatory approval for its next generation drug-eluting stents, the company announced. The company plans to immediately launch its Taxus Express2 Atom Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System, the only drug-eluting stent on the U.S. market for use in vessels as small as 2.25 mm in diameter. Stents are tiny wire-mesh tubes that are inserted into diseased arteries to prop them open after they have been surgically cleared of blockages. The use of stents has decreased in …

LexisNexis® Legal News Podcast for September 25, 2008

The operators of citi.net face cybersquatting allegations from Citigroup, and, the 10th Circuit reverses a district court’s findings in a dispute between styling salons. Hear these and other stories from LexisNexis® Mealey’s™ Intellectual Property and International Asbestos reports. Copyright© 2008 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. For the latest litigation news headlines, go to www.lexisnexis.com/mealeys.

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Report Finds COPD Inhalers Increase Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

Two inhaler drugs commonly prescribed to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been shown to greatly increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The drugs are tiotropium, which is sold under the brand Spiriva Handihaler, and ipratropium, which is available as a generic and under the brand name Atrovent. The Food and Drug Administration approved Spiriva in 2004 and Atrovent in 1998. Both drugs are …