The Justice Department would be able to file civil lawsuits against people who trade copyright content over peer-to-peer networks like Kazaa, under a bill called the “PIRATE Act,” which is currently moving through Congress.
The Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation Act allows the Department of Justice to exercise its existing enforcement powers through a […]

Eli Lilly and Co. said yesterday the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pennsylvania is investigating its marketing and promotional practices of certain drugs.
The company said it believes the drugs involved include its schizophrenia drug Zyprexa, its former blockbuster antidepressant drug Prozac, and its osteoporosis drug Evista.
The Indianapolis drug maker said it the outcome of the investigation […]

Parker & Waichman LLP said last week it filed multiple lawsuits against Eli Lilly and Company on behalf of three individuals who claim to have sustained severe side effects from taking the schizophrenia drug Zyprexa.
The firm said two of the plaintiffs have been diagnosed with serious cases of diabetes, and another plaintiff has required lengthy […]

The Recording Industry Association of America said it has filed a new round of lawsuits against 532 people for allegedly trading copyright music, including 89 on university campuses.
This latest round of lawsuits marks the first time the RIAA’s war against online piracy targets college students. Until yesterday, the trade group had not filed any lawsuits […]

Adult and children on antidepressants should be closely monitored for an increase in depression or the emergence of suicidal thoughts, the Food and Drug Administration said today in a Public Health Advisory.
FDA asked drug makers today to change the labels of 10 antidepressants to include stronger warnings stating that patients taking the drugs can […]

General Motors Corp. is recalling 4 million 2000-2004 model-year full-size pickup trucks to replace tailgate support cables that may corrode and fracture.
The recall involves certain 2000-2004 Chevrolet Silverado’s and GMC Sierra’s built between October 1999 and October 2003. Also, some 2002-04 Chevrolet Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade EXT trucks built between March 2001 and October 2003 […]

A consumer advocacy group on Monday filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the anti-depressant drug Serzone, which has been linked to a number of deaths and serious injuries from liver failure.
The group, Public Citizen, said it filed the lawsuit because the FDA had failed to act on a petition […]

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the so-called “cheeseburger bill” that prevents Americans from suing the food industry for making them overweight.
The “Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act” would require courts to dismiss certain lawsuits filed against manufacturers and sellers of any food product as well as the trade associations that represent them. The bill […]

More bad news for patients on the cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor, Medco Health Solutions Inc., a consultant to United Health Care and more than one-third of Fortune 500 companies, did not include the medicine on its recommendation list for reimbursement.
The decision by Medco could mean that companies and insurers won’t pay for Crestor, or that patients […]

More Americans die each year from asbestos-related diseases than from fires and drowning combined, according to a study by the Environmental Working Group.
From its analysis of federal mortality records, the EWG concluded that 10,000 Americans die each year from asbestos exposure. They project 100,000 people in the United States will die in the next decade […]