Newly Proposed Legislation Would Protect Us from Drivers and Operators with Sleep Apnea
Last September a commuter train crashed into a wall at the Hoboken, NJ train station during the morning rush, killing one and injuring more than 100 people, because the train’s conductor had undiagnosed sleep apnea. An article in EHS Today estimates that one in 25 adult drivers over age 18 have reported falling asleep while…
Read MoreFDA Issues a Safety Warning About Injuries and Death from Intercept’s Liver Drug Ocaliva
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a drug safety communication regarding serious liver injury with Ocaliva (obeticholic acid) for rare chronic liver disease. The warning communicates concern that the drug is not being dosed correctly in some patients who have moderate to severe decrease in liver function, which has resulted in an…
Read MoreUrology Patients in Aiken, SC May Have Been Exposed to Infections During Surgery
If you have undergone a surgical procedure at an Aiken, South Carolina facility in the last year, you could be at risk of an infection caused by the improper cleaning and sterilization of surgical instruments. Based upon information and belief, certain surgical patients in and near Aiken, SC have received letters from a physician, indicating…
Read MoreDrug Maker Insys Accused of Sparking the Opioid Epidemic by Bribing Doctors and Promising Kickbacks
When John Kapoor, former CEO of Insys Therapeutics Inc. maker of Subsys was arrested on racketeering conspiracy and other charges recently, he became the highest ranking pharmaceutical executive to be accused of a crime related to the opioid crisis, which his company and other Big Pharma companies helped to fuel with their incredibly powerful and…
Read MoreThe Puppy That Was Almost Another Statistic in America’s Opioid Crisis
Who does not like a happy, curious yellow Labrador puppy? Zoey, much like any three-month-old yellow lap pup, is curious and gets into everything around her – even things that could be deadly. A story in the Washington Post tells about one afternoon when Zoey’s owner took her for a walk near their home in…
Read MoreIn a New Procedure, Doctors Repair a Birth Defect Before a Birth
Spina bifida is a birth defect. Children are born with the condition, which occurs when the tissue that forms the spinal column does not close properly in utero. Children who are born with spina bifida sometimes need to have surgery to repair the opening in the back, and have a shunt implanted to drain excess…
Read MoreCPSC Bans Phthalates in Children’s Toys and Other Products
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has banned children’s toys and child care products that contain more than 0.1% of certain phthalate chemicals. Phthalates are chemical compounds that are added to plastics and vinyl to make an item soft and pliable. If a child ingests certain types of phthalates, it can have harmful effects…
Read MoreFiery Truck Accident in Work Zone on I-95 Claims the Lives of a South Carolina Family
In May 2017, a fiery crash on I-95 near the border between North Carolina and South Carolina claimed the lives of five people; two were children. The chain reaction crash involved three tractor trailers and three passenger vehicles. A story on WITN.com reports that the crash occurred near exit 10 in Robeson County when a…
Read MoreFounder of Insys Therapeutics Has Been Charged with Racketeering
John Kapoor, founder and majority owner of Insys Therapeutics, has been arrested and charged with fraud and racketeering by the federal government. The is the latest indictment attached to Insys – its former CEO, as well as other executives and employees, are also facing additional charges – for a bribery and kick-back scheme that involved…
Read MoreWill This New Medical Device Decrease the Number of Hospital Acquired Infections?
Just days ago, scientists debuted a new medical device to install near doors at hospitals in order to maintain sterile environments and help decrease the risk of spreading a hospital acquired infection (HAI). Surfaceskins is a new self-disinfecting textile. Will it prove to be the magic bullet we need to stop hospital acquired infections? A…
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