Current Events

BMW will recall about 76,000 vehicles from the 2012-14 model years that are equipped with turbocharged 2-liter 4-cylinder engines because of a loss of power brake assist, the automaker has informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

BMW says the oil supply for the vacuum pump that operates the brake booster used for power assist can be “interrupted,” Matthew Russell, a BMW spokesman, wrote in an e-mail. The brakes will still function, but the driver will have to press much harder on the brake pedal. That means stopping distances could be greater, Mr. Russell said.

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C.R. Bard Inc. and four other makers of vaginal-mesh implants accused of injuring women are in talks to settle thousands of lawsuits, people familiar with the discussions said.

Lawyers for Bard, Endo Health Solutions Inc. (ENDP), Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX) and two other companies making vaginal inserts to support women’s pelvic muscles and treat incontinence have begun talks about settling all suits over their products, the people familiar with the matter said. Johnson & Johnson, which also faces suits over the inserts, isn’t involved in the talks, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

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(Reuters) - U.S. health regulators have strengthened the warnings on two blood cancer drugs to reflect the risk that they may reactivate the hepatitis B virus in patients previously infected with the disease.

The warnings affect GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Arzerra, which was approved in the United States in 2009 to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL); and Rituxan, a drug made by Roche Holding AG and Biogen Idec Inc that is approved to treat a variety of conditions including CLL, non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis.

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When Bruce Peterson left the U.S. Postal Service after 24 years delivering mail, he started a travel agency. It was his dream career, his wife Shirlee said.

Then he went to see cardiologist Samuel DeMaio for chest pain. DeMaio put 21 coronary stents in Peterson’s chest over eight months, and in one procedure tore a blood vessel and placed five of the metal-mesh tubes in a single artery, the Texas Medical Board staff said in a complaint. Unneeded stents weakened Peterson’s heart and exposed him to complications including clots, blockages “and ultimately his death,” the complaint said.

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A 75-year-old Boca Raton widow won $3.8 million late Friday from a Palm Beach County jury that agreed two tobacco giants were responsible for the death of her husband.

The jury deliberated about six hours before announcing that it had found Lorillard Tobacco Co. and R.J. Reynolds mostly responsible for the death of Frank Gafney, a lawyer who died of lung cancer in 1995 at age 59. His widow, Kathleen Gafney Hanners, filed suit on his behalf.

During closing arguments, tobacco attorneys agreed smoking caused Gafney’s lung cancer. However, they argued that Gafney smoked because he enjoyed it despite the risks. His ability to quit for a year in the mid-1970s to get a better deal on his life insurance policy proved he wasn’t addicted, could quit anytime he wanted but simply enjoyed smoking. Therefore, they argued, they weren’t responsible.'

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C.R. Bard Inc. agreed to settle a woman’s claims that one of its vaginal-mesh implants caused internal problems before a trial set for this month in New Jersey, two people familiar with the accord said.

Bard officials agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to resolve Melanie Virgil’s claims that Bard’s Avaulta Plus insert caused urinary problems, said the people, who asked not to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the settlement. Virgil’s case had been set for a Sept. 23 trial in state court in Atlantic City, according to court dockets.

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Christopher Ellison went to a veterans medical center in Philadelphia to get eight teeth extracted in 2007. What should have been a routine dentist visit left him permanently incapacitated.

The $17.5 million Ellison and his family received in a malpractice judgment against the Department of Veterans Affairs was the largest against the agency in a dozen years -- and one of more than 400 payments the U.S. government made last year to resolve VA malpractice claims, according to agency records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. The total cost came to $91.7 million, also the highest sum in at least 12 years.

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Toyota is recalling about 780,000 vehicles for a second time after its first effort to prevent a handling problem did not work, according to a report posted Sunday on the Web site of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall covers about 18,000 2010 Lexus HS 250h autos, a hybrid model, with the rest being the 2006 through 2011 Toyota RAV4 sport utility vehicle. The agency says the failure of a rear tie rod on the suspension could “cause a loss of vehicle control.”

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Chobani, the biggest Greek yogurt maker in the U.S., has recalled some yogurt cups that contained mold after an unspecified number of people reported feeling ill, the company said Thursday.

According to the company, a small batch of yogurt from an Idaho facility -- less than 5% of its production -- was found to contain mold.

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Volvo will recall almost 7,800 of its 2014 models because a computer problem could cause electronic malfunctions, including a problem similar to what many will remember from Detroit’s malaise era where the windshield wipers operate continuously when the ignition is on, according to a report from Volvo posted Thursday on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site.

Volvo says the vehicles affected by the recall are the S60, S80, XC60 and XC70 models equipped with keyless ignition. The automaker says the problem is that the Central Electronic Module “will not perform as intended.” As a result, not only will the windshield wipers run continuously when the ignition is on, but the vehicle may experience one or more of the following problems:

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Ford is recalling more than 373,000 Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car models to fix steering shafts that can fail, according to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

On all 2005-2011 models registered in "Salt Belt" states, a lower part of the steering shaft could rust out and cause the upper portion to separate or collapse on itself, which could lead to a total loss of steering. The recall affects Washington, D.C., and 19 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

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