Product News and Recalls

Consumers Union applauds medical device proposal

The Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports, has put out a statement applauding the federal Food and Drug Administration’s proposed regulation to establish a “unique identification system” for medical devices marketed in the U.S.

The proposal calls for high-risk devices to carry identification numbers. For most medical devices, the UDI will include a device identifier, which is a unique code tied to a specific device model, and a production identifier, which includes production information for the device.

The ...

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Johnson & Johnson has history of ethical lapses

Johnson & Johnson will reportedly pay a settlement in the neighborhood of $2 billion to settle federal charges that the company used illegal tactics in marketing its antipsychotic drug Risperdal.

The federal probe prompting that settlement included investigations into the company’s alleged kickbacks to Omnicare Inc., a company that dispenses drugs at nursing homes, to boost sales of certain medicines.

In light of Johnson & Johnson’s enormous profits, some observers have questioned ...

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Celebrity doctor under fire over corporate payments

Dr. Drew Pinsky – well-known as TV and radio host “Dr. Drew” – is dealing with criticism after court records revealed that he took $275,000 from GlaxoSmithKline for “services for Wellbutrin.”

GlaxoSmithKline recently agreed to a $3 billion settlement — the largest ever involving a pharmaceutical company – over the federal government’s charges that the company illegally marketed some of its medications.

Prosecutors allege that the British pharmaceutical giant’s tactics included paying ...

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Study says sitting too much shortens lifespan

According to a report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, sitting too much represents a serious health threat.

The report cites a study in the online journal BMJ Open, which concluded that sitting for less than three hours a day could extend your life by as much as two years. Researchers found that limiting TV viewing in a sitting position to less than two hours every day, in itself, might extend life ...

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Critics worry about fracking’s impact on cemeteries

The process of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” has given rise to a new controversy – its impact on cemeteries.

A New York Times article on the issue says cemetery owners lease their mineral rights to oil and gas companies to allow fracking under the burial grounds. The report includes interviews with family members of people buried in those cemeteries, who express concerns that the practice might disturb the graves.

The report ...

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Promising male contraceptive unveiled

According to a CBS News report, researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at UCLA Medical Center have announced the development of a promising new male contraceptive gel.

According to the report, the new gel contains the male hormone testosterone and a progestin called Nesterone. Progestin is a synthetic hormone that mimics the female hormone progesterone and increases the contraceptive effectiveness of testosterone in men.

But a report by KHOU out of ...

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