Exclusive: Merck anti-baldness drug Propecia has long trail of suicide reports, records show
(Reuters) - Newly unsealed court documents and other records show that Merck & Co and U.S. regulators knew about reports of suicidal behavior in men taking the company’s anti-baldness treatment Propecia when they decided not to warn consumers of those potential risks in a 2011 update of the popular drug’s label.
Internal records from Merck...
Some Baby Food May Contain Toxic Metals, U.S. Reports
Ingredients in many baby foods, including some organic fare, are contaminated with heavy metals like arsenic, lead and cadmium at levels that are far higher than those allowed in products like bottled water, congressional investigators said on Thursday.
Their report underscored the federal government’s persistently lax approach to overseeing the safety of baby food, some...
FDA warns Pfizer’s arthritis, colitis drug raises risk of heart issues and cancer
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday warned that early results from a safety trial on Pfizer’s arthritis and colitis drug, tofacitinib, revealed an increased risk of heart issues and cancer when compared to another medicine.
The drug, marketed under Xeljanz or Xeljanz XR, was tested against an arthritis drug called tumor necrosis...
New diabetes cases linked to covid-19
Mihail Zilbermint is used to treating diabetes — he heads a special team that cares for patients with the metabolic disorder at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Md. But as the hospital admitted increasing numbers of patients with covid-19, his caseload ballooned.
“Before, we used to manage maybe 18 patients per day,” he said. Now his...
At the urging of nursing homes, a law is amended and COVID court claims are slowed
(Reuters) - Garnice Robertson wants accountability for her mother’s death from COVID-19 caught while she was living at a Kansas nursing home that allegedly failed to prevent an outbreak of the disease. An unexpected legal hurdle stands in her way.
The nursing home argues it has complete legal immunity for lawsuits like Robertson’s stemming from...
NY nursing home COVID deaths more than 12K, Cuomo Health chief reveals
A damning attorney general’s report that showed Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other officials downplayed the deadly impact of COVID-19 on New York’s nursing homes finally led the state’s embattled health commissioner on Thursday to reveal the total number of resident fatalities.
In a defensive, nearly 1,700-word statement, Dr. Howard Zucker released figures that put the...
Dems’ Senate Win Sinks Insurers’ Virus Liability Shield Hopes
Law360 (January 13, 2021, 12:33 PM EST) -- The insurance industry's hopes for sweeping national legislation that would shield businesses from most coronavirus-related lawsuits were likely dashed last week as Senate control swung to the Democrats, who have resisted such a measure, warning that it would erode legal protections for workers and consumers.
By flipping...
Profit and pain: How California’s largest nursing home chain amassed millions as scrutiny mounted
The largest for-profit nursing home operator in California took control of his first home in 2006 in a Los Angeles suburb that calls itself “the city of opportunity.” Over the next decade, he built a sprawling network of facilities from San Diego to the state’s northern coast.
The chain known as Brius Healthcare received more...
Children’s Hospitals Are Partly to Blame as Superbugs Increasingly Attack Kids
COLUMBIA, Mo. — A memory haunts Christina Fuhrman: the image of her toddler Pearl lying pale and listless in a hospital bed, tethered to an IV to keep her hydrated as she struggled against a superbug infection.
“She survived by the grace of God,” Fuhrman said of the illness that struck her oldest child in...
The Doctor Will See You Once You Sign This Binding Arbitration Agreement
Last year, Jessie Harrell went to see her gynecologist for a routine appointment. She’d been seeing Dr. Tim Baird for 14 years, ever since she showed up at the hospital in labor five weeks early. He’d been on call that morning, and she’d been reassured by his calm demeanor, even as he delivered her...
