General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler have filed a lawsuit to block Honeywell International Inc. from selling its Bendex brake unit to bankrupt Federal Mogul Corporation. The automakers accuse “Honeywell of trying to avoid its asbestos-related obligations,” Reuters reported.
Honeywell is attempting to avoid its asbestos-related liabilities by selling its Bendix brake unit, which faces about 47,000 […]

U.S. District Judge Lee R. West has blocked the national “do not call” list that would allow consumers to stop unwanted telemarketing calls, ruling the Federal Trade Commission overstepped its authority.
Consumers have submitted more than 50 million phone numbers to the FTC registry. The national program was scheduled to begin Oct 1.
The FTC has […]

JetBlue Airways confirmed that it had provided 5 million passenger itineraries to a defense contractor as part of a program to “track down terrorists and other ‘high risk’ passengers,” New York Times reported.
The airline company violated its own privacy policies when it turned over the data to the contractor. The information received by Torch Concepts, […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked the makers of six atypical antipsychotic drugs to update product labeling to include a warning about a possible link with diabetes, The Associated Press reported. The atypical antipsychotic drugs includes Zyprexa by Eli Lilly & Co., Clozaril by Novartis, Risperdal by Janssen, Seroquel by AstraZeneca, Geodon by […]

Purdue Pharma reported yesterday that five more OxyContin Lawsuits against the company based on claims of personal injuries resulting from use of the drug had been dismissed. According to Purdue, the company paid nothing in settlement of any of the dismissed cases, which bring the total number of court ordered dismissals to 47. Currently no […]

Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, says new cholesterol drug Crestor from AstraZeneca may cause kidney damage and failure, as well as muscle destruction (rhabdomyolysis). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Crestor on August 13 and it is just now becoming available by prescription.
“It was irresponsible of the FDA to approve this drug without […]

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has issued a “Dear Doctor” letter to health professionals warning them that its antidepressant drug Effexor (venlafaxine) is not effective in treating depression in children and teenagers. Recent studies have found increased reports of “hostility and suicide-related adverse events,” such as thinking about suicide and self-harm, among children and teens taking Effexor.
Comment Wire […]

The so-called Clean Slate Program from the Recording Industry Association of America fails to provide file-traders any real amnesty from lawsuits, according to a new lawsuit filed in California. The RIAA does not represent all copyright holders, songwriters and music publishers. People who choose amnesty could still be sued, a lawyer said.
“When you read between […]

Naval Reserve commander William Manofsky, 44, says the Navy altered his medical records to remove any indication that he was prescribed Lariam, a controversial anti-malaria drug, that he believes made him suicidal, aggressive and sick. Manofsky claims to have before-and-after evidence to back up his allegations.
“I was given Lariam. I got sick from Lariam,” said […]

Asbestos lawyers are filing more silicosis lawsuits on behalf of clients who claim they have suffered form exposure to silica, New York Times reported. Opponents, including a coalition of insurance companies, say there is no medical crisis.
Crystalline silica is highly purified quartz that is used to make glass, fiberglass, paints and ceramics, as well as […]