Current Events

Living within half a mile of a hydraulic fracturing site carries a serious risk for pregnant women, a new study has found. The drilling technique, also known as fracking, injects high-pressure water laced with chemicals into underground rock to release natural gas.

Women who lived within that distance to fracking operations in Pennsylvania were 25 percent more likely to give birth to low-weight infants than were mothers who lived more than two miles beyond the sites.

The five-year study of more than 1.1 million births in the state between 2004 and 2013, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, also found lower birth weights, although not as low, in infants whose mothers lived between half a mile and two miles from a fracking site.
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An Oklahoma judge has denied a bid by drugmakers including Purdue Pharma LP and Johnson & Johnson to dismiss a lawsuit by the state’s attorney general claiming the companies deceptively marketed opioid painkillers.

Cleveland County Judge Thad Balkman in Norman, Oklahoma on Tuesday largely rejected the arguments put forth by Purdue, J&J, Allergan PLC and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd to duck a lawsuit Attorney General Mike Hunter filed in June.

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Years after suing drug giant Merck & Co. for serious injuries allegedly caused by osteoporosis drug Fosamax, more than 500 plaintiffs will have to wait to hear the U.S. Solicitor General's take on their case, and the outcome could reverberate across the pharmaceutical industry.

That's because Merck's bid at the U.
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The last time John Nebinger spoke to his son Bradley was about thirty minutes after midnight on March 15, 2010.

Twenty-four-year-old Bradley said he couldn’t sleep—a frequent complaint. His father went to bed.

“I found him dead the next day,” Nebinger, who lives near Seattle, said in an interview. His son was in his underwear in an untidy room littered with prescription bottles.
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Supermarket giant Kroger is recalling purified water for babies over a mold problem.

The water — Comforts for Baby Purified Water with Fluoride Added — in one-gallon containers is contaminated with Talaromyces penicillium, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

The affected drinks are jugs with sell-by dates between April 26, 2018, and Oct.
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JEFFERSON CITY • A state appeals court sided with a Missouri woman Tuesday in her fight against Bayer Corp. over the safety of its controversial birth control device.

The Missouri Western District Court of Appeals ruled that a lower court had improperly dismissed Jessica Williams’ lawsuit against the German pharmaceutical company.

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(Reuters) - A Philadelphia state court jury on Tuesday ordered Bayer AG and Johnson & Johnson to pay $27.8 million to an Indiana couple over the drugmakers’ failure to warn of internal bleeding risks from their blood thinner Xarelto.

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he Kroger Co. is recalling almost six months worth of its Comforts For Baby brand purified water with fluoride because samples have tested positive for mold contamination. Various grocery chains in 14 states are recalling the implicated infant water.

“The FDA is issuing this consumer alert to reach parents and caregivers who may have bought the product, which is intended for infants,” according to the alert posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website today.

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Perhaps you’ve been there: One hand on the steering wheel and the other on your smartphone, you steal glances at a screen in half-second increments. It’s not that you’re addicted to the latest gaming app – you’re working.

A recent online survey conducted by Harris Poll for Travelers insurance shows that more than four out of 10 drivers fessed up to performing work-related functions on smartphones while behind the wheel.

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A prominent vaginal mesh campaigner has died from sepsis which was triggered by her controversial implant, it has been reported.
Christina Brajcic, 42, from Ontario, Canada, passed away on Thursday following a four-year battle with persistent infections - as a result of her mesh.
During her final few months, she posted an array of videos detailing her struggle with the scandal-hit devices on her Facebook page.

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(Reuters Health) - Many bodybuilding products sold online are mislabeled and contain unapproved drugs and other ingredients that may not be safe, a new study suggests.

Researchers tested 44 products they bought online that were marketed as nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), which mimic the effect of testosterone and help build muscle.

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