Doctors Neglect a Huge Weapon in the Fight Against Opioid Deaths
The U.S. is in the midst of an opioid crisis. Deaths from prescription painkiller overdoses have quadrupled since 1999. To combat the epidemic, 49 states1 and Washington, D.C., have built computer systems intended to detect when people try to get multiple prescriptions, either for their own...
Transportation After Amtrak workers killed in crash, federal regulators order safety review
Four days after a pair of Amtrak maintenance workers were killed when a train slammed into their backhoe, federal regulators have ordered the passenger rail line to conduct a thorough safety review of work-crew rules and regulations.
The mandate issued by the Federal Railroad Administration on Thursday is the strongest indication to date that investigators...
Hospitals’ digital drug ordering boosts safety but can lead to fatal errors
Hospitals' use of digital medication orders have dramatically reduced the number of dangerous drug errors, but their computer systems still fail to flag 13% of potentially fatal mistakes, a report released Thursday shows.
Medication errors are by far the most common mistakes made in hospitals — and hospital errors are the third leading cause of death in the United...
Weak Oversight Lets Dangerous Nurses Work in New York
Thomas Maino knew he was going to die. Suffering from serious ailments, the 93-year-old veteran had rejected invasive treatments and asked only that he be made comfortable after he was admitted to a Syracuse nursing home in November 2008.
But on a snowy Saturday morning the following January, his moans could be heard down...
Pfizer recalls mislabeled bottles of adult Robitussin
Pfizer's Consumer Healthcare is pulling tens of thousands of bottles of one of its adult Robitussin products in the U.S. due to a labeling issue. It comes just weeks after a different kind of manufacturing snafu led to the recall of its children's Advil products in Canada.
According to the most recent FDA Enforcement...
G.M. Settles Ignition-Switch Case Planned as Bellwether Trial
G.M., the nation’s largest automaker, had already won two so-called bellwether trials being conducted to resolve a variety of legal claims tied...
Texas Teen Is 10th U.S. Fatality Linked to Takata Air Bag
A 10th person has died in a crash in the U.S. involving a ruptured Takata Corp. air-bag inflator, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A 17-year-old woman died from injuries sustained in a March 31 crash in Fort Bend County, Texas, NHTSA said in an e-mailed statement Wednesday. Worldwide, 11 deaths have...
Some diabetes drugs to get new warning labels, FDA says
Diabetes drugs containing either of two key compounds can cause heart failure in certain patients, federal drug regulators said Tuesday as they announced new warnings to be added to the labels of nearly a half dozen commonly prescribed medications. Read more
Sugary Drinks, ‘Bad’ Carbs Tied to Breast, Prostate Cancers
2015-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango recalled to repair brakes
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling nearly 15,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs from the 2015 and 2016 model years. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately eight of those vehicles may suffer from a problem with their brakes that could boost the risk of an accident. No injuries have been...
