The German manufacturer of the drug thalidomide, which has been blamed for about 10,000 birth defects, has issued its first apology to victims in 50 years, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports.
Harald Stock, chief executive of the Grünenthal Group, made the apology during a speech at the unveiling of a thalidomide memorial, a bronze statue of a limbless child.
Addressing the victims and their families, he said “…we have been silent, and ...
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An opinion piece for the Boston Globe points out that public scrutiny and consumer activism is what prompted Johnson & Johnson’s recent decision to phase out questionable chemicals in its full line of products.
The piece applauds that decision, and urges members of the public to keep up that kind of pressure where corporate actions and accountability are concerned.
Johnson & Johnson had already acceded to consumer activists’ demands by saying it ...
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has agreed to give priority review status to Johnson & Johnson’s application for a new usage of its prostate cancer treatment Zytiga, Reuters reports. That means the drug will be reviewed faster than usual.
The priority review status is granted by the FDA to expedite the review of drugs to treat serious diseases and fill unmet medical needs. It means the drug will be reviewed ...
continue reading...Consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest has filed a federal lawsuit over artificial sweetener Splenda Essentials, claiming that Johnson & Johnson subsidiary McNeil Nutritionals is misleading consumers about the product’s supposed health benefits.
In a press release, CSPI says that Splenda Essentials’ marketing is designed to give the false impression that the sweetener confers health benefits, such as helping its users lose weight and avoid disease.
The lawsuit ...
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Even as Johnson & Johnson is settling previous charges that may cost about $2.2 billion, the government is making new inquiries into allegations that the company used illegal tactics to promote and market its drugs, the Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Justice Department sent J&J’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit a letter in April, requesting documents related to the marketing and promotion of the antibiotic Doribax.
In ...
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An opinion piece in the Seattle Times concerns a shipyard worker diagnosed with mesothelioma – a type of cancer associated with asbestos exposure – and faults both the shipyard that employs him and the manufacturer of respirators used there for failing to adequately warn him.
The piece cites a case from the Washington Supreme Court, concerning a tool keeper at Todd Shipyards in Seattle named Leo Macias.
From 1978 to 2004, the ...
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