Articles Posted in Product Liability

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Recent lawsuits filed against Proctor & Gamble and GSK claim that the zinc contained in the denture adhesive products Fixodent and SuperPoligrip has poisoned dozens of people and ruined their nervous systems irreparably. Chronic, excess zinc intake can result in copper deficiency and profound neurologic disease. Denture cream users, unaware of the zinc content of their product, were using excessive amounts of the adhesive on a daily basis to help with their loose fitting dentures. The affects have been reported as tingling and weakness in the extremeties like the hands, feet, arms, and legs, and have ultimately resulted with some individuals being confined to a wheelchair or unable to walk without the use of a walker.
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Last week, Novartis agreed to settle criminal allegations involving Trileptal, an anti-epilepsy drug, as it deals with similar investigations involving five other Novartis drugs: Diovan, Exforge, Zelnorm, Keturna and Sandostatin. Novartis has agreed to plead guilty to violations of the U.S. Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act and pay a fine of $185 million. The settlement is pending court approval.
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Dr. Joseph Carrese, director of the ethics and clinical practice program at John Hopkins Berman Institute of Bio-Ethics, recently stated that he believes surgeons need to inform all of their patients about the risks associated with the use of a pain pump catheter during shoulder surgery. Presently, many arthroscopic shoulder surgeries utilize this tiny catheter, placed directly into the shoulder joint, which infuses pain medication continuously for several days following the procedure. The concern that Dr. Joseph Carrese and many others have, is what happens to patients in the long run, as the result of this device.
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The following products have experienced problems resulting in their recall:

13-foot Square Trampolines. The straps supporting the top of the trampoline’s enclosure to the poles can fail. The enclosure could drop if these straps break, posing a fall risk. Skywalker Holdings LLC, (866) 603-5867 or www.skywalkertrampolines.com

2005 Novara Trionfo Bicycles. The fork can separate from the steerer tube, which can cause the rider to lose control. Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), (800) 426-4840 or www.rei.com
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The Wall Street Journal today is reporting new data compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), concerning a significant increase in the number of “incidents stemming from so-called spot-on flea and tick treatments.” According to the latest statistics, the number of adverse incidents involving pets and the use of such treatments “increased 53% to 44,263 in 2008 from the previous year.” Thus, the EPA is “intensifying an evaluation of spot-on products.”
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The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on January 30, 2009, confirmed numerous outbreaks of “illnesses caused by Salmonella Typhimurium” as a result of exposure to “peanut butter and peanut paste produced by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) at its Blakely, Georgia processing plant.”
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