- Aubrey Ford | March 28, 2007 9:17 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesClass action lawsuits filed on behalf of thousands of pharmaceutical sales representatives involve allegations of unpaid overtime against eight major drug companies. The essence of the claims involves demands for overtime compensation for the hours that the drug representatives spend attempting to push the particular pharmaceutical drugs in the doctors' offices. There are more than a dozen...
- Michael Phelan | March 26, 2007 8:46 PM |
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Head & Brain InjuriesThe local Richmond newspaper ran a story today about two wounded Iraq veterans whose families report entirely different experiences at the McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The wife of one vet reported that the hospital worked miracles on her husband who broke his back in a vehicle roll-over. In contrast, the wife of a vet who was shot in the head during combat was very critical of the...
- Michael Phelan | March 22, 2007 1:40 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsFDA Advisory Boards recommend drugs and medical devices for approval. Their votes can greatly effect drug company profits. Lawyers, advocacy groups, and certain members of Congress (e.g., Sen. Charles Grassley) have for years worried that the drug and device makers have hijacked the FDA's approval process by improperly influencing advisory board members through payment of exorbitant consulting...
- Aubrey Ford | March 21, 2007 1:03 PM |
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MiscellaneousA new court in Tampa, Florida seeks to resolve commercial litigation matters between businesses. The Complex Business Litigation Division is a new court established to resolve business-related cases such as contract disputes, non-compete agreements, trade secrets claims, and other business matters. The Tampa court is part of a trend in various parts of the United States to establish business...
- Aubrey Ford | March 18, 2007 9:50 PM |
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MiscellaneousThe SEC and the Sun-Times Media Group Inc concluded a civil settlement of $28.7 million with ithe company's former President and Publisher David Radler relating to claims of backdated stock options and other transgressions in a commercial litigation matter. The SEC settlement includes a $5 million civil penalty, one of the largest on record against an individual. Radler has already plead...
- Michael Phelan | March 13, 2007 4:07 PM |
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Tractor-Trailer AccidentsA study released by two truck and highway safety advocacy groups showed that U.S. fatalities from truck accidents have remained consistent at 100 per week from 1999 (when the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was created) through 2005. This week, families of truck crash victims are lobbying Congress and the Bush Administration to create stricter safety rules. The advocacy groups seek...
- Michael Phelan | March 12, 2007 10:48 AM |
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Head & Brain InjuriesI read with disgust the latest news account of how the Pentagon is failing to provide necessary medical care for soldiers who suffer brain injuries in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Largely because of the improvised explosive devices used by Iraq insurgents, traumatic brain injury has become the signature wound of the Iraq War. In an article titled, "For War's Gravely Injured, Challenge to...
- Michael Phelan | March 08, 2007 3:41 PM |
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Head & Brain InjuriesAccording to a previously undisclosed Defense Department memorandum obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request by USA Today: Military Prodded on Traumatic Brain Injuries, the Pentagon lacks a comprehensive plan to identify and treat tens of thousands of troops who may suffer from traumatic brain injury, the signature wound of the Iraq War. The Memo faulted the Pentagon's ability to spot...
- Michael Phelan | March 06, 2007 1:43 PM |
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Head & Brain InjuriesOn March 2, 2007, the Centers for Disease Control published an article in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review (MMWR), entitled, Rates of Hospitalization Related to Traumatic Brain Injury---Nine States, 2003. The data reported by the CDC shows a significant increase in the rates of hospitalization for persons with traumatic brain injury. According to the CDC:"Traumatic brain injury (TBI)...
- Michael Phelan | March 06, 2007 12:46 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsBausch & Lomb reported today that its fourth-quarter 2006 financial results will decline by 4% in large part because of its recall of its ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution. The May 2006 recall was linked to an outbreak of eye-fungus infection that could cause corneal scarring and blindness. Separately, the eye-care company said it's recalling 12 lots of ReNu MultiPlus lens solution...
- Michael Phelan | March 02, 2007 3:11 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsThe FDA is reporting that ConAgra Foods sent bulk Peter Pan peanut butter from its plant in Sylvester, Georgia, where it was tainted with salmonella, to a plant in Humboldt, Tennessee where it was put into various food products. The Washington Post reports that health officials now warn the public to discard the products which include:* Sonic Ready-to-Use Peanut Butter Topping. Sonic outlets...
- Michael Phelan | March 01, 2007 12:17 PM |
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Head & Brain InjuriesDr. Elliot Pellman, a rheumatologist, whose qualifications as the 13 year chairman of the N.F.L.'s committee on concussions have been questioned by brain injury experts, resigned Monday. His resignation follows recent articles in the New York Times about the devastating effects of concussions on retired football players and a October 2006 ESPN The Magazine expose which criticized the...