Current Events

The first state court trial in a lawsuit alleging blockbuster drug Xarelto causes internal bleeding is set to begin Monday in Philadelphia, following three federal cases in which Xarelto makers Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc and Bayer Pharma AG prevailed.

In the first trial of the roughly 1,400 Xarelto cases pending in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, an Indiana couple will try to convince the jury that the companies acted negligently and failed to warn patients of the drug’s increased gastrointestinal bleeding risk.

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Paulette saw it happen at the playground from several feet away, the panic-inducing moment in 2014 when her 3-year-old son Charlie, who has a life-threatening allergy to milk, grabbed a playmate’s sippy cup and took a gulp.

Thankfully, Paulette had the anaphylaxis-stopping EpiPen and was able to quickly use the auto-injector on her son. But when she pulled the needle from his thigh, it was sticking out of the device at an angle instead of being under an orange cover, leaving her unsure whether the lifesaving medicine had been administered. Not wanting to take a chance, Paulette (who requested anonymity to protect her son’s identity) called 911, and Charlie was rushed to a hospital where he remained for several hours until doctors were sure he was all right.

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DETROIT (AP) - BMW is recalling more than 1 million cars and SUVs in two U.S. recalls due to the risk of fires under the hood, and it's recommending that they be parked outdoors until repairs are made.

A spokesman for the German automaker says the risk of fire is very low in both cases, but the vehicles should say outside "in an abundance of caution." In both recalls, repairs are expected to start on Dec.
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U.S. officials sent a warning to the marijuana industry, alerting online sellers they cannot market their products as a treatment for cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration sent letters to four companies on Tuesday, warning them about unsubstantiated claims that their marijuana-derived products can combat tumors and kill cancer cells. The firms sell products including oils and capsules made from cannabidiol, also known as CBD, a component of the marijuana plant that doesn’t cause the mind-altering effects of the other main component, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump signed a Congressional resolution on Wednesday that lets banks block customers from filing class action lawsuits, partly delivering on his election campaign promise to lighten U.S. financial regulation.

The White House confirmed Trump signed the resolution, which kills a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule released in July, despite heavy lobbying for a veto by the president.

The rule, set to go into effect next spring, gave bank customers the option to band together in lawsuits known as class actions to lower their legal costs, but Republicans say the suits only benefit attorneys who reap large fees.
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ALBANY — More than 60 patients rights and other groups are urging Gov. Cuomo to sign a bill to make it easier for victims of misdiagnosed cancer to get their day in court.

The dozens of groups signed on to a letter pleading with Cuomo to back the legislation, known as Lavern’s Law. It would start the window to bring medical malpractice cases involving cancer when an error is discovered by the patient — not when the mistake occurred, as under current law.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - General Motors Co agreed to a $13.9 million settlement with Orange County, California after prosecutors accused the Detroit automaker of intentionally concealing serious safety defects including those involving faulty ignition switches tied to nearly 400 deaths and injuries, the company said on Sunday.

More than 4,000 people who came down with serious infections after joint surgery have sued 3M Co., blaming the Maplewood-based company for selling a warm-air blower that may have deposited infectious bacteria in their incisions during surgery.

A supplier to ultra-high-end sushi palace Masa has allegedly been playing dirty.

The restaurant was recently served with a letter from the FDA, which accused one if its importers of "serious violations" of food safety rules. Allegations include using fish "prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions," which the FDA apparently found during a recent investigation of one of the restaurant's suppliers.

 Skipjack tuna was one of the fish named as potentially compromised, according to Eater.

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An alarming study released Wednesday found many baby food products test positive for arsenic, including 80% of infant formulas. And, that's not the only dangerous contaminate found.

The Clean Label Project, a nonprofit advocating for transparent labeling, tested baby food, infant formulas, toddler drinks and snacks purchased within the past 5 months. The group, which did not publish findings in a peer-reviewed journal, looked at top-selling formulas and baby food using Nielsen data, and also included emerging national brands. After about 530 baby food products were tested, researchers found 65% of products tested positive for arsenic, 36% for lead, 58% for cadmium and 10% for acrylamide.
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A federal appeals court last week upheld a plaintiff’s $27 million win over Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) in a product liability lawsuit brought over its Pinnacle pelvic mesh.

A Florida jury in November 2014 found for Amal Eghnayem and three other plaintiffs who alleged that the Pinnacle mesh caused injuries including pain, bleeding and infection. Pelvic mesh implants are used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and female stress urinary incontinence.

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