In a follow up to my recent posts invloving free lunches and biased reports concerning the measures drug manufactures go to push their products on doctors and the medical industry as a whole, a new report by the Annals of Internal Medicine shows some of the more subtle and less discussed measures th
In a recent study, one in five women who took the epilepsy drug Valproate during pregnancy resulted in birth defects or fetal death. The drug, sold by Abbott Laboratories, Inc., under the brand name Depakote, was found to be substantially riskier than any of the other three main epilepsy available o
Two teenagers who were in a single car crash died earlier this morning in Lexington, South Carolina. Sixteen-year-old Donald Schwartz, was driving a 1985 Silverado when he lost control of the vehicle and it subsequently struck a tree. Schwartz was pronounced dead at the scene while his passenger, Ja
Last night around 11 p.m. a hit and run vehicle struck and killed a 22 year-old Spartanburg man and seriously injured his friend. The police think Paul Sok, deceased, lost control of his motorcycle on U.S. 123 and a friend came to his aid. Shortly thereafter the hit and run vehicle stuck both of the
The Federal Government recently broadened the eligibility criteria for its overseas medical treatment program by allowing a woman who developed toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) to seek treatment in Singapore for her sight related injuries. The deadly allergic reaction is commonly associated with cau
The Florida Supreme Court recently over turned a $145 billion verdict rendered against big tobacco in a class action suit. The court in its 79 page decision held that the case should not have been certified as a class action suit on behalf of hundreds of thousands sick Florida smokers. The ruling ho
Over the last year or so the connection between so called “independent” researchers and the pharmaceutical companies they review have drawn a lot of attention and criticism. The main reason for this is because of the fear of biased reports and reviews from well known researchers who receive benefits
In San Jose, California, a mother has initiated a lawsuit against a nail salon on behalf of her deceased daughter after a serious infection contributed to her death in June of 2004. Jessica Mears, 43, developed a bacterial infection after receiving a pedicure at a nail salon. The infection developed
According to a recent article by the Journal of the American Medical Association, many patients utilizing automated external defibrillators are largely unaware of the high recall rates associated with these products. An automated external defibrillator, or AED as it is commonly referred to, works by
The New Jersey Court of Appeals recently overturned a $105 million dollar verdict against a beer vendor who allegedly served a patron too much alcohol at a Giants game. The drunken patron, Daniel Lanzaro, was continually served alcohol by Aramark Corp. despite obvious signs he was already heavily in
The Food and Drug Administration has requested that manufactures of leading anti-depressants add warnings to their labels to address recently discovered risks in newborns and migraine sufferers. The FDA’s concerns stem from a life threatening condition called serotonin syndrome, which has been linke
Atlanta Police officer Peter Faatz, 29, has died from the injuries he sustained as a result of motor vehicle accident after colliding with a Grady Hospital ambulance. Both Faatz and the ambulance were responding to a double shooting 911 call near Turner Field when the accident occurred. Faatz sustai
