Louisiana Personal Injury Blog

FDA Found Concerns at Merck Vaccine Plant

Jenny Albano — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:10:11 GMT

The FDA found contaminated children's vaccines and other problems at a Merck & Co. plant in Philadelphia that was combed.

According to an unpublished FDA report acquired by the Philadelphia Inquirer, inspectors found 49 areas of concern, including unwanted fibers found on vaccine vial stoppers, failure to follow good management practices, and contamination of bulk lots of vaccine.

Inspectors visited the plant on 30 separate days from November to January. In December the company recalled 1.2 million doses of an influenza vaccine made at the Philadelphia plant due to sterility problems and the plant also quarantined near a yeas worth of other suspect doses.

A Merck executive, John McCubbins stated that none of the finished vaccines were contaminated and the company is fixing the problems. The FDA has not ordered Merck to stop production and is reviewing how the company responds to the report.

Also Thursday, Deutsche Bank pharmaceuticals analyst Barbara Ryan wrote in a note to investors that the "deficiencies have been addressed and remediated with no consequences in terms of delays or shortages for any vaccine products." Meanwhile, a CDC spokesman said Thursday that the agency is not aware of problems with vaccines at the plant and so is not taking action.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Munire Furniture Recalls Cribs Due to Fall Hazard

Jenny Albano — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:27:51 GMT

Munire Furniture, in conjunction with the CPSC, is recalling about 24,000 Majestic Curved Top and Flat Top Cribs, Essex Cribs, Brighton/Sussex Cribs and Captiva Cribs due to a fall hazard.

Hazard: The cribs fail to meet the federal safety standards for cribs. The four support brackets on the mattress support spring are too long. The brackets prevent the spring from lowering to the full 26 inch minimum height in its lowest position, allowing children inside to crawl over the railing, posing a fall hazard.

The recalled cribs include Majestic Curved Top cribs with the model number 9500; Majestic Flat Top cribs with the model number 9000; Essex cribs with model number 7100; Brighton/Sussex cribs with the model number 9100 and Captiva cribs with the model number 5100 and all the cribs are wooden.

The model number is listed on a white label on the bottom inside of the right side rail of the crib. The manufacture date is on the white label near the model number or on the white label that is on the bottom of the headboard. Cribs that have a green sticker on the mattress frame are not included in the recall.

The recalled cribs were available at specialty kid product stores across the U.S. from November 2005 to November 2007 and were manufactured in Indonesia.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Teen Dead After Being Run Over by Float

Jenny Albano — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:05:19 GMT

A driver towing a float in a Carnival parade accidentally ran over and killed his 16-year-old brother.

Clay Michael Sayer was standing between Kain N. Sayer's pickup truck and the float behind it, talking to riders on the float during a brief stop around 5 p.m. Saturday, Trooper Scott Moreau said. The teen was pinned by the float when the truck started moving again, Moreau said.

Kain Sayer, 21, was charged with vehicular homicide, drunken driving and careless driving. A deputy at the jail where Sayer was located said that he posted bail, but was unsure what the amount was and whether Sayer had an attorney.

The accident occurred just north of Marksville, Louisina, a town of 5,800 which is about 75 miles northwest of Baton Rouge.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Scope Apparel Recalls Boys' Hooded Sweatshirts with Drawstrings Due to Strangulation Hazard

Jenny Albano — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:59:20 GMT

Scope Apparel L.P., in conjunction with the CPSC, is recalling about 72,000 boys hooded sweatshirts because the drawstrings on the sweatshirts can pose a strangulation hazard to children.

The boys' small and medium sized hooded zip-up sweatshirts have various designs on the front, and were sold in charcoal, navy blue and brown colors. "Whatever" and "RN#39209" are printed on the tag sewn into the jacket.

So far no injuries have been reported to the the company. The sweatshirts were available at children and mass merchandise retail stores across the nation from August 2007 to November 2007. The products were manufactured in Bangladesh, India, China and Pakistan.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Infant Cold Medicine Pulled From the Shelves

Jenny Albano — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:24:05 GMT

According to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, many makers of cold medicines for infants are voluntarily recalling their products. The recall was initiated for safety purposes. After reviewing the side-effects of these drugs on infants the FDA found that there have been many fatalities due to the drugs.

"The reason the makers of over-the-counter, oral cough and cold medicines for infants are voluntarily withdrawing these medicines is that there have been rare patterns of misuse leading to overdose recently identified, particularly in infants, and safety is our top priority," states the association's president Linda A. Suydam.

She also stated that if the drugs are used as directed than they are safe and effective, but some parents have not been following the directions on the labels precisely.

Last month, federal health officials recommended that the "consult your physician" advice to parents on the labels of cold and cough medicines aimed at young children be dropped and a warning not to use the medications in children under 2 be added. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will officially consider revising the labels at a meeting next week.

The FDA's review on infant medications revealed that there have been 54 child fatalities from over-the-counter decongestant medicines and 69 reports of children's deaths connected with antihistamines over the past four decades. The withdrawal does not affect medicines intended for children ages 2 and older.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Drugs, Medical Devices, and Implants.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Cribs Recalled Due to Suffocation Risk

Shannon Weidemann — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:58:29 GMT

Two children died after being suffocated in their cribs and now over one million cribs have been recalled due to a design flaw. The recalled cribs were made in China and are sold under the name Simplicity and Graco. They are drop side cribs that were sold in stores from January 1998 through May 2007. The retail price for the cribs was from $100 to $300.

Two infants, a 9-month-old and a 6-month-old, died after the drop-rail sides of their cribs were installed upside down, the agency said. It is investigating the death of a third child in a newer-style crib that is not part of the recall.
Ken Waldman, the president of Simplicity for Children, was not available for comment, according to a receptionist at the company's headquarters. A company spokesman did not immediately return calls.

The company is asking parents to make sure their cribs have been installed correctly to minimize risk. They are also offering a repair kit to fix the defective cribs.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Strong America Limited Recalls Great Wall Brand Chinese Wolfberry Because of Undeclared Sulfites

Jenny Albano — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:31:06 GMT

Strong America Limited, in conjunction with the FDA, is recalling Great Wall Brand Chinese Wolfberry because the product may contain undeclared sulfites. Some people are allergic or are very sensitive to sulfites and this can cause them life-threatening effects if they consume this product.

So far no illnesses have been reported to the company. The product comes in an uncoded 7 oz. package and was sold throughout Georgia, New York, and Tennessee.

The problem was discovered during a routine inspection by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Food Inspectors and an analysis by the Department's Food Laboratory found that there were sulfites in the product, which were not labeled on the Chinese Wolfberry.

The consumption of 10 milligrams of sulfites per serving has been reported to elicit severe reactions in some asthmatics; Anaphylactic shock could occur in certain sulfites sensitive individuals upon ingesting 10 milligrams or more of sulfites. Analysis of the Chinese Wolfberry revealed that it contained 12.87 milligrams per serving.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Pedestrian Hit by Louisiana State Representative

Shannon Weidemann — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:47:30 GMT

A Louisiana State Representative hit a pedestrian in Terrebonne Parish with her car on Sunday. The pedestrian's arm was broken in the car accident. State Representative Carla Dartez was driving the car. The accident took place on Bayou Black Road.

Dartez failed parts of the field sobriety test but passed a breathalyzer test administered soon afterward with a "0.00" score, said Trooper Gilbert Dardar Jr., State Police Troop C spokesman.
"I was not drinking," Dartez said. "It was just an accident."

Dartez was issued a ticket for improper lane usage. This was not her first driving offense. She claims that she did not see the pedestrian.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Metz Fresh Recalls Spinach

Shannon Weidemann — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:56:46 GMT

Salmonella is responsible for the latest spinach recall. California based Metz Fresh has issued a bagged spinach recall after testing uncovered Salmonella contamination. It is unknown how the spinach was contaminated with Salmonella.

There have been no reports of illness or problems related to this spinach.
The positive test came during independent lab testing Metz Fresh conducts on all of its products.
The company's president said testing has changed in the last year. He said his primary concern is for the consumer.

Over 8100 cases of spinach are involved in the recall. Salmonella can cause food poisoning and is sometimes fatal. If you purchased the recalled spinach do not use it and return it to the store for a refund. Last summer there was a large recall of spinach due to E. coli.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Backpack Blowers Recalled Due to Fire Hazard

Courtney Mills — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 10:43:42 GMT

Shindaiwa Kogyo Co. Ltd. Japan along with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a voluntary recall of Shindaiwa's backpack leaf blower. The Shindaiwa blower models concerned are models EB630 and EB630RT. All models up to serial #7025018 are included.

The affected backpack blowers are outfitted with plastic shells that can melt, allowing exhaust fumes to exit from beneath the muffler or the side of the muffler. The fumes may then cause damage to the fuel tank, creating a potential fire hazard. There has been one reported incident of a muffler fire so far, but no injuries reported to the CPSC.

The Shindaiwa blowers concerned in the recall were sold from September 2005 through May 2007. Contact Shindaiwa for more information about replacing these defective products.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills