Saundersblog.com - May 2006 Archives

May 2006

Tuesday 30 May

Slow Down and Save Lives on I-75 (10:24) - Speeding is a factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. At 70 mph, a driver is traveling at 102 feet per second. At 80 mph, the rate increases to 117... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
If You're Going to Get Tasered, Snort Some Coke First (10:17) - The title to this post is no joke. I found this on the Motley Fool website. Taser International has issued the following statement: "TASER International, Inc. ... announced today that ... a standard electrical discharge from a TASER brand device... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
J&J Criticized for Not Testing Safety of Natrecor (10:09) - Johnson & Johnson has come under heavy criticism recently for failing to test its cardiac drug Natrecor. The drug, approved in 2001 for intravenous use in hospitalized patients whose hearts pump so weakly that they have trouble breathing, has yet... | 0 Comments

Thursday 25 May

Agricultura en Nuestro Estado (11:49) - Existe un gran problema en los campos de agricultura en el Estado de Florida. Sin embargo no se aprecia en toda su magnitud pues los afectados directamente son agricultores inmigrantes quienes no hablan Ingles. Ellos recogen nuestras fresas y tomates.... | 0 Comments
Agricultura y Los Pesticidas (11:48) - Existe un gran problema en los campos de agricultura en el Estado de Florida. Sin embargo no se aprecia en toda su magnitud pues los afectados directamente son agricultores inmigrantes quienes no hablan Ingles. Ellos recogen nuestras fresas y tomates.... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Pesticides and Birth Defects (09:22) - There's a major problem in the agricultural fields of Florida. Yet, it goes practically unnoticed because those affected are migrant farmworkers who often don't speak much English. They pick our strawberries and tomatoes. They provide back breaking labor for sub... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Wednesday 24 May

Wyeth's Fen-Phen Settlement Approved (08:11) - Drug maker Wyeth is expected to announce as early as today that a revised legal settlement, covering the most common damage claims for the diet drugs it once sold, has won final judicial approval. About 5.8 million people took Wyeth's... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Tuesday 23 May

In Public Relations World It's Botch & Lomb (08:18) - There's an interesting article published in Advertising Ageabout how Bausch & Lomb botched the crisis surrounding its $500 million contact lens solution products market. In spite of a public relations blitz in which the company took out full page advertisements... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
FDA Urges Stronger Warning for Ketek (08:10) - Citing a growing number of deaths related to liver failure, the FDA has called for a stronger warning label for the antibiotic drug KetekThe FDA has received reports of 12 cases of acute liver failure, including the four deaths, in... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Monday 22 May

Asian Officials Slam Bausch & Lomb for Slow Reaction (09:03) - Singapore health officials have strongly criticized ReNu with MoistureLoc maker Bausch & Lomb for its tardy response to a growing health crisis. According to the Singapore health authorities, three months ago, they had established a strong statistical connection between Bausch... | 0 Comments
Increased Fungal Risk Confirmed with ReNu Product (09:01) - In the same week that Bausch & Lomb decided to permanently withdraw its ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution from shelves worldwide, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed on Friday (May 19) that the product was the... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Fosamax Linked to Serious Injury (08:55) - While physicians say they're rare, Fosamax users can be susceptible to "dead jaw" disease or commonly known as jaw rot. Fosamax, an osteoporosis drug belonging to the bisphosphonate family, can lead to "dead jaw" syndrome -- a painful condition that... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Friday 19 May

Doctor Links Fusarium Keratitis to Bausch & Lomb Solution (14:10) - Dr. Deepinder Dhaliwal, Director of Refractive Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, has tested the ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution and found the fusarium keratitis fungus growing within it. The results were turned over to the CDC.... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
U of Pitt Med Center Doc Finds Fusarium in Bausch & Lomb Product (14:05) - As part of the CDC's investigation of Bausch & Lomb's eye contact solution ReNu with MoistureLoc, a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center doctor was able to grow the fusarium keratitis fungus from the contact lens solution. Dr. Deepinder Dhaliwal, the... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Thursday 18 May

Ketek Facing the Heat (07:02) - US Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) has called on the maker of Ketek, Sanofi-Aventis, to produce its investigator as part of a probe of the company's handling of the antibiotic. The letter released last night by Mr. Grassley,... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Wednesday 17 May

Boston Scientific Issues New Warning on Defibrillators (07:25) - Boston Scientific warned doctors that close to 1,000 of its cardiac implantable defibrillators may short circuit and fail to work properly leaving its patients vulnerable to cardiac problems. The company said that it learned of the failures after purchasing Guidant... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
FDA: Bausch & Lomb Failed to Promptly Notify (07:20) - The FDA said yesterday that ReNu maker Bausch & Lomb failed to promptly report 35 cases of the fusarium keratitis infection. The failure to inform the FDA within a 30 day time period is part of a larger list of... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Tuesday 16 May

American Medical Association Missed Vioxx Warnings 5 Years Ago (22:35) - In 2001, the American Medical Association missed an opportunity to warn the public about the potential danger of Merck's drug Vioxx, according to a front page story in the Wall St. Journal. According to the Journal article, "Dr. Hrachovec had... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Doing the Vatican Shuffle (22:26) - The Vatican announced today the appointment of two bishops to new posts in the United States. One of them, Bishop Donald Wuerl will be moving from the relatively obscure but heavily Catholic area of Pittsburgh to the metropolitan and politically... | 0 Comments
More News on Bausch & Lomb (22:20) - I was quoted in today's Boston Globe as a result of Bausch & Lomb's decision to halt permanently the worldwide sales of its ReNu with MoistureLoc. As the paper stated, I think the decision confirms what we've suspected all along,... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Monday 15 May

Bausch & Lomb Recalls ReNu with MoistureLoc Worldwide (09:41) - Facing intense pressure due to the fusarium keratitis outbreak, Bausch & Lomb has made a worldwide recall of its eye contact solution product ReNu with MoistureLoc. The crisis began more than 6 weeks ago and initially Bausch & Lomb told... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Bausch & Lomb Hasn't Removed ReNu with MultiPlus (09:37) - In spite of a sharp increase in fungal infections among users of ReNu with MultiPlus, Bausch & Lomb has not removed the eye contact solution product from store shelves. US health officials have now confirmed more than 120 cases of... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Friday 12 May

Vioxx Risks Continue Even After Its Use is Discontinued (06:45) - A new Merck & Co. study reveals that risk for heart attacks and strokes continues even when its use is discontinued. This risk continues for a year after use. In spite of the new study, Merck says it won't change... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Beijing Bausch & Lomb Stops Selling ReNu Products (06:28) - Bausch & Lomb has decided to withdraw its ReNu contact lens solution from the Chinese markets. ReNu has come under intense scrutiny as well as several lawsuits for its link to a severe fungal infection called fusarium keratitis. Though rare,... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Thursday 11 May

Frivolous Lawsuits a Fiction (10:22) - A new research study appearing in the May 11th New England Journal of Medicine, refutes the oft-mentioned claim by some that frivolous lawsuits, especially medical malpractice claims lack merit. For this study, which appears in the May 11 New England... | 1 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Wednesday 10 May

Link Between Fusarium and Bausch & Lomb Grows (06:18) - According to a CDC released yesterday, the link between the eye fungus fusarium keratitis and Bausch & Lomb products continues to grow. Fungal keratitis is a painful inflammation of the cornea that can, in some cases, lead to blindness. The... | 1 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Link Between Fusarium Fungus and Bausch & Lomb Grows Stronger According to Latest CDC Data (06:13) - According to the latest CDC data, the link between ReNu with Moisture Loc and the rare but dangerous fusarium keratitis fungus continues to grow sharply. The link between another ReNu product, ReNu Moisture Plus, grew, but more modestly. Of the... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Tuesday 9 May

Sarasota Car Accidents (06:21) - Those of us who live or work in the Sarasota area know the dangers of driving in the early morning fog and mist. This is the time of year when morning commuters face a rising sun and early morning fog.... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Fosamax-More Harm than Cure (06:14) - Fosamax, manufactured by Vioxx maker Merck & Co., is an osteoporosis drug highly touted by its manufacturer. The drug garnered $3.2 billion in 2005 sales but is now linked to osteonecrosis whereby users of Fosamax experience a rotting and death... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Monday 8 May

Taser Use in Orlando Analyzed (09:57) - The Orlando Sentinelran a revealing article on the Orlando Police Department's use of tasers during the past two years. An analysis of the data on Taser use showed that Orlando police have used Tasers against 1,243 people. The computer-assisted analysis,... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
China FDA Removes ReNu from Stores (09:52) - The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration has removed all US manufactured ReNu with MoistureLoc products from store shelves. Only about 2% of the ReNu product is made in the US. The majority of the product is made domestically. Bausch &... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Sunday 7 May

Florida Legislature Takes Up the Taser (10:15) - Now that the most recent session of the Florida Legislature is history, it's interesting to note that the Florida Legislature passed a bill restricting the use of Taser stun guns to situations in which subjects are resisting and pose a... | 1 Comments
Life Teen Co-Founder Resigns Post (10:06) - Phil Baniewicz, co-founder, President and CEO of the popular Roman Catholic youth retreat movement Life Teen, has resigned from his position. He is also a named defendant in a civil lawsuit alleging they and another priest sexually abused a teenager... | 0 Comments
Source of Fusarium Keratitis Fungus Still a Mystery (09:58) - According to an article in the NY Times, a researcher hired by Bausch & Lomb has published a report indicating that the infection is not coming from the eye contact solution. The FDA and CDC have not commented directly on... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Fusarium Fungus Cases Continue to Rise (09:54) - Fusarium Keratitis, the rare but dangerous fungus, continues to rise among contact lens wearers. However, the source of the fungus remains a mystery. The proportion of patients who said they used MoistureLoc has since held steady at around 50 percent... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Friday 5 May

5 More Suspected Cases of Fungal Eye Infection in Tennessee (04:16) - With reports of the fusarium keratitis fungus appearing in Europe, the number of cases in Tennessee continues to mount. I haven't read a good explanation for this but the number of eye fungus infections associated with Bausch & Lomb's ReNu... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Thursday 4 May

Bausch & Lomb Fungus Enters Europe (15:31) - New cases of the fusarium keratitis fungus have been confirmed in Europe. The cases represent the first time the company has acknowledged European incidents of the infection, which has struck Bausch solution users in Asia and the U.S. The outbreak... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Bausch & Lomb's "Perfect Storm" (09:56) - The "Perfect Storm" analogy are not my words but the words of Bausch & Lomb Chief Executive Ron Zarrella. He made the comments in the wake of a CDC investigation that seems to point more significant blame on Bauch &... | 0 Comments
Sites Set on Bausch & Lomb (07:03) - As the days pass, the news continues to get worse for Bausch & Lomb. Initially, the company asked consumers to stop using one of their products, ReNu with MoistureLoc. In the intervening weeks, company execs tried to intimate that if... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
More Tears for Bausch & Lomb (06:59) - In a company press statement issued in the middle of the night, Bausch & Lomb now reveal that additional cases of fusarium keratitis have been linked to the company's ReNu products. According to a Market Watch report, "In an overnight... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Wednesday 3 May

Arizona Judge Won't Let Monsignor Fushek's Attorneys Intimidate Witnesses with Sex Questions (08:53) - A judge in Monsignor Fushek's sex case has decided to not allow defense attorneys to question witnesses about their sexual history. Fortunately, the judge recognized the tactic for what it is- a bullying tactic to dissuade witnesses from testifying against... | 1 Comments
Bristol Myers Squibb to Stop Selling Tequin (08:50) - In a conference call with investors, Bristol Myers Squibb has announced that it will no longer sell Tequin although it stopped short of saying that the product will be removed from store shelves. The decision comes on the heels of... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Why Bausch & Lomb Withdrew ReNu from the Market (08:47) - The relationship between the recent outbreak of fusarium keratitis and Bausch & Lomb's ReNu eye contact solution is becoming clearer as the CDC and the FDA continues its investigation. According to an article in Reuters, "The 57 percent share of... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Bausch & Lomb Says Initial Fusarium Findings Require More Investigation (08:41) - In reaction to the CDC's initial report on the fusarium fungus linked to Bausch & Lomb's ReNu, the company has stated that the report requires further investigation. Now, we don't know if this public relations obfuscation or the data reported... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Tuesday 2 May

Public Citizen Urges FDA to ban Tequin (06:08) - The consumer advocacy group founded by Ralph Nader, Public Citizen, has issued a call to the FDA to ban the antibiotic Tequin because of its purported links to blood sugar abnormalities. According to the press release the drug, made by... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Monday 1 May

ReNu Abogado (21:17) - Si ud. ha estado usando la solución ReNu para sus lentes de contacto y ha experimentado una herida de los ojos, posiblemente podría recibir compensación por su herida. Es muy importante que ud. consulte con un oftalmólogo inmediatamente. El doctor... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Su ReNu Abogado (21:10) - Si ud. ha estado usando la solución ReNu para sus lentes de contacto y ha experimentado una herida de los ojos, posiblemente podría recibir compensación por su herida. Es muy importante que ud. consulte con un oftalmólogo inmediatamente. El doctor... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Defibrillator Malfunctions on the Rise (09:05) - According to a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, malfunctions in implantable cardioverter defibrillators, or ICDs, are on the rise. The device is designed to keep the heart pumping properly and efficiently.... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Ketek Raising Eyebrows (06:19) - Ketek, a respiratory infection drug manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis and approved by the FDA in 2004, has been associated with severe liver damage. It's not the first time the drug has caused controversy. The doctor who treated the most patients in... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments