Saundersblog.com - October 2008 Archives

October 2008

Vatican Decrees Use of Psychological Test to Weed Out Homosexuals (07:01) - In an unprecedented move, the Vatican has decreed that priest candidates (seminarians) who show signs or tendencies of homosexuality will have to undergo a battery of psychological tests prior to ordination to the priesthood. While psychological testing is not new... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

FDA on Drug Pre-Emption Lawsuits-Not What You Might Think (19:03) - Officially, the FDA supports federal drug-approval and warning-label standards trumping stricter state laws in the Supreme Court case, Wyeth v. Levine that will be heard this coming Monday. However, internal memoranda support the opposite. In internal FDA memos, two FDA... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

FDA Warns Bayer on Marketing Practices (11:15) - The FDA has sent two warning letters to Bayer regarding two aspirins, Bayer Women's Low Dose Aspirin + Calcium and Bayer Aspirin with Health Advantage. According to the FDA, Bayer's marketing campaigns make health claims that have not been proven... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Thoratec Heart Pump Recalled after Deaths Reported (09:45) - A small mechanical heart pump manufactured by Thoratec Corporation has been recalled after 5 deaths were reported. The affected catalog numbers are 1355 and 102139. The heart pumps have been distributed to 153 hospitals throughout the country since the beginning... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Rev. Donald McGuire Guilty on Both Counts (12:32) - Rev. Donald McGuire, the Chicago Jesuit priest who had served as spiritual director to Mother Teresa and her Daughters of Charity religious order has been found guilty on both counts in federal court in Chicago. His sentencing will be in... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Mesh Linked to Problems in Incontinence Surgery (19:22) - The FDA has received more than 1,000 complaints of problems associated with a vaginal mesh used in surgeries to treat severe incontinence and a prolapsed uterus in women. The problems include erosion of the mesh through vaginal tissue, infection, pain... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments
Volusia County Teacher Arrested for Sex with Student (10:50) - A 45 year old teacher and mother of four has been arrested for having sex with a 17 year old student. Warner Christian Academy teacher Cynthia Horvath has been charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a second-degree felony.... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Eli Lilly's Illegal Marketing of Zyprexa Will Cost Company $1 Billion Plus (11:04) - Eli Lilly took a calculated gamble when it decided to market its blockbuster drug Zyprexa for dementia and mild bipolar disorder. It hadn't been approved for such purposes and the drug company was prohibited from marketing the drug for unapproved... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Congress Investigating Drug, Medical Device Company Ties to Doctors. . .Again (19:25) - This time a letter was sent to the Cardiovascular Research Foundation about its financial ties to researchers. Congress, particularly Sen. Charles Grassley, is investigating the nonprofit group's ties to drug manufacturers and medical device makers. The letter coincided with the... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Pfizer To Settle Bextra and Celebrex Lawsuits (11:34) - Drug manufacturer Pfizer has announced its intention to settle lawsuits against the pharmaceutical company for its drugs Bextra and Celebrex. The amount of the settlement is $894 million with $745 million set aside to settle the personal injury lawsuits claiming... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Bush Continues to Push Pre-Emption in Product Safety Cases (10:00) - In the midst of a floundering economy, a mounting credit crisis, and two wars, George Bush is actively engaged in absolving large corporations from their duty to provide the consumer with safe products. In his last few months in office,... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch Recall Lawsuits Manufacturing Plant Receives FDA Warning Letter (12:10) - Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch Recall Lawsuits A Puerto Rican medical device manufacturing plant has received an FDA warning letter concerning its operating procedures. The plant, which manufacturers medical devices such as the Kugel Mesh hernia patch and the Vacora Biopsy... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Sexual Abuse in Society (11:27) - While I've spent the majority of my efforts on this blog discussing the various issues surrounding the priest abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church, the ancient institution is not the only one affected by the scourge of sexual... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Johnson & Johnson Has Paid $68 Million to Settle Ortho Evra Lawsuits (10:07) - According to court records, pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has paid $68 million to settle lawsuits filed regarding the controversial birth control patch Ortho Evra. The lawsuits claim that the birth control patch cause a deep vein thrombosis, blood clots... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Pfizer's Internal Docs Suggest Drug Company Tactics (16:03) - Court documents filed in a Pfizer Neurontin lawsuit allege that the pharmaceutical company tried to suppress data from a study showing that Neurontin was ineffective in alleviating nerve pain. The documents reveal Pfizer executives strategizing about how to silence a... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Scranton's Bishop Martino on Respect Life (11:24) - This past weekend, Bishop Martino waded deep into the political maelstrom by ordering that his pastoral letter on abortion be read at all the masses in the Diocese of Scranton. As everyone knows, Scranton is a blue collar city in... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Medtronic Drug Pump Recalled by FDA (12:13) - Initially, the FDA issued a safety alert regarding Medtronic's implantable drug pump but now the federal agency has classifed it as a Class I recall. The Class I status means that there is a reasonable probability that use of the... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Glaxo Settles Paxil Lawsuit for $40 Million (18:02) - Glaxo Smith-Kline has settled a lawsuit concerning Paxil and the manner in which it was marketed as safe and effective to minors. The class action lawsuit was settled for $40 million and the money will be used to reimburse health... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Paxil Consultant Fails to Disclose Payments (13:16) - An Emory University psychiatrist failed to disclose fees he received as a result of his consulting work for Glaxo Smith-Kline regarding their controversial drug Paxil. The payments were not a forgettable amount either-$500,000. Charles Nemeroff, chair of Emory University's psychiatry... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Medtronic Questioned Over Doc Payments (08:40) - The federal government is scrutinizing Medtronic's relationship with Infuse Bone Graft physicians who are being paid for their consultative services by Medtronic. Further complicating the situation is the fact that Infuse Bone Graft is linked to potentially life-threatening complications when... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Florida Sues Merck over Vioxx (23:33) - Florida has now joined eight other states in filing a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical giant Merck for its deceptive and aggressive marketing practices concerning the drug Vioxx. The lawsuit, filed by conservative Republican State Attorney General Bill McCollum, is seeking... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments