Current Events

Volvo is recalling 30,929 Volvo S60 vehicles in the U.S. because drivers may not be warned of low oil pressure, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall, which affects vehicles released for the 2011-2012 model years, won't begin until December 31.

Affected vehicles were produced from June 22, 2010 through May 14, 2012, according to the NHTSA.

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When Sheena Wilson, 45, underwent robotic surgery for a hysterectomy in May, she didn’t know the Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG) system used by her doctor was previously tied to a variety of injuries for the same procedure.

Her rectum was badly burned in the operation, said Wilson, a mother of two from Parlin, New Jersey. Now she is on long-term disability, fearful of losing her job and facing a third corrective surgery, she said in a telephone interview.

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Genzyme Corp. has agreed to pay a $22.3 million settlement in a lawsuit in which two former sales representatives alleged that the company said a product called Seprafilm could be used in a type of surgery for which it was not approved.

The whistle-blower lawsuit was filed in Florida under the federal False Claims Act, which allows private citizens to file suit on behalf of the government and then share in any financial settlement, according to an article earlier this week in the Tampa Bay Times. Court documents allege that salesman encouraged doctors to use the product in a type of surgery for which it was not approved. Those doctors would then seek improper reimbursement claims.

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Sanofi (SAN) failed to win U.S. regulatory approval for its multiple sclerosis drug Lemtrada, denting the company’s ambitions of capturing a larger share of the $20 billion market for the disease.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Sanofi’s Genzyme unit didn’t submit evidence from “adequate and well-controlled studies” showing that the benefits of Lemtrada outweigh its side effects, the Paris-based company said in a statement today. Sanofi disagrees with the conclusion and plans to appeal, the drugmaker said.

“We are extremely disappointed with the outcome of the review and the implications for patients in the U.S. suffering with multiple sclerosis who remain in need of alternative therapies,” Genzyme President David Meeker said in the statement.

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It's advice that doctors impart to mothers over and over: Breast milk is the most nutritious, fortifying food they can feed their babies.

But women may not be aware of the strong possibility that their milk is also less than pure, an unintended consequence of living in a developed nation.

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Health authorities in China are investigating one of the nation’s biggest vaccine makers after eight infants died in the past two months following injections that were meant to immunize them against hepatitis B.

The government said this week that it had suspended the use of millions of doses of a hepatitis B vaccine produced by the manufacturer, Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products. Government inspectors have been sent to examine the company’s facilities.

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The FDA is warning consumers to immediately stop using a product called Mass Destruction, marketed as a dietary supplement for muscle growth. The product is labeled to contain at least one synthetic anabolic steroid and has been linked to at least one reported serious illness.

The FDA was alerted by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services of a serious injury associated with use of this product. A previously healthy 28-year-old male developed liver failure and requires a liver transplant after just several weeks of product use. Liver injury can happen when using products that contain anabolic steroids and steroid-like substances.

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The owners and insurers of the bankrupt Framingham pharmacy blamed for an outbreak of fungal meningitis that killed dozens of people last year have tentatively agreed to contribute more than $100 million to compensate victims and creditors of the firm.

The proposed settlement, which needs to be finalized and approved by the US Bankruptcy Court, provides hope that people across the country who received tainted steroid injections made by New England Compounding Center could begin receiving initial payments for their pain and medical expenses as early as next year.

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When her 24-year-old daughter Erika was rushed to an emergency room because of extreme shortness of breath in 2011, a doctor asked Karen Langhart, “Was your daughter using birth control?” reports a Vanity Fair article. Told that Erika had been using a contraceptive device called NuvaRing, the doctor said, “I thought so, because she’s having a pulmonary embolism.” The young woman died several days later.

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When Christopher Herrera, 17, walked into the emergency room at Texas Children’s Hospital one morning last year, his chest, face and eyes were bright yellow — “almost highlighter yellow,” recalled Dr. Shreena S. Patel, the pediatric resident who treated him.

Christopher, a high school student from Katy, Tex., suffered severe liver damage after using a concentrated green tea extract he bought at a nutrition store as a “fat burning” supplement. The damage was so extensive that he was put on the waiting list for a liver transplant.

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Like many pills and powders sold as dietary supplements, Dr. Larry's Tranquility pills were not what they seemed.

And neither was Dr. Larry.

The pills promised insomniacs a great night's sleep with an all-natural blend of ingredients such as figwort root and licorice.

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