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FDA lacks adequate authority to ban dietary supplements

  USA Today (8/5) editorializes “the watchdog publication Consumer Reports,” in its latest issue, “spotlights a list of 12 widely used supplement ingredients linked to serious health risks, including cardiovascular, liver and kidney problems.” The sale of supplements, which is a “$27 billion” industry, is not illegal. The paper says “spokesmen for the self-described ‘responsible’ … Read more

Consumers sue J&J, demanding cash refunds for recalled children’s medicines

Bloomberg News (7/9, Harris, Tirrell) reported that on July 8 in US District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Chicago), “Johnson & Johnson…was sued by US consumers accusing it of fraud and racketeering, and demanding cash refunds for recalled children’s cold and allergy medicines.” The five lawsuits “seek to proceed on behalf of plaintiffs’ groups for … Read more

Chrysler recalls nearly 600K jeeps, minivans over brake and wiring defects

If there is any upside to the Toyota recall, it may be that other automakers are being more responsive to defects in their own vehicles. Here is a recall from Chrysler that was mentioned in Bloomberg News (6/8, Plungis). Bloomberg reports that Chrysler “is recalling almost 575,000 Jeep sport-utility vehicles and Dodge and Chrysler minivans … Read more

McDonalds recalls 12M Shrek-themed drinking glasses

Parents, if you’ve picked up a “Shrek” drinking glass at McDonalds for your child, then make sure you read this article from the Associated Press. On June 4, the AP reported that,  “Cadmium has been discovered in the painted design on ‘Shrek’-themed drinking glasses being sold nationwide at McDonald’s, forcing the burger giant to recall … Read more

Toyota recall covers Lexus LS cars

According to an article in the Detroit News, Toyota Motor Corp. will recall its top-end Lexus LS sedans on Friday to fix a steering problem that prompted complaints in Japan, the company’s U.S. sales arm said Wednesday. The Toyota recall announcement came hours after its Japanese parent company said it would recall 4,500 2010 Lexus … Read more

NHTSA: Toyota may have withheld recall info

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is launching an investigation into whether Toyota Motor Co. delayed telling investigators in 2005 that a known defect on compact trucks in Japan was also a problem in the United States. Toyota (TM) later recalled the trucks in the U.S. for a steering relay rod … Read more

Incentives helped Toyota sales rise 24%

Don’t feel too bad for Toyota. According to the Detroit Free Press Toyota’s April sales jumped 24% from a year earlier as aggressive discounts and interest-free loans continue to override consumers’ worries about unintended acceleration or other recall issues. Finishing third for the month behind General Motors and Ford, Toyota remains unfazed by a continuing … Read more

FDA issues warning about Cardiac Science defibrillators

NBC Nightly News (4/27, story 11, 0:20, Williams) reported, “According to the FDA, defibrillators made by the Cardiac Science Corporation and sold under the label Power Heart could fail because of faulty software contained inside.”The Seattle Times (4/27) reported, “The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued an unusual public warning about 280,000 external defibrillators … Read more

FDA to reevaluate ReGen knee repair device

The AP (3/19, Perrone) reported that ReGen Biologics, the medical device maker “at the center of a highly controversial Food and Drug Administration approval, is pushing back against the agency’s plan to reevaluate” its Menaflex knee repair implant. The company’s “implant spent more than three contentious years under review at the FDA before gaining approval … Read more