Oklahoma state health officials have located the source of the recent E. Coli outbreak in that state that killed one man, sickened dozens, and placed a number of children on dialysis.  The state investigators have confirmed that the suspected origin of the outbreak—the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove—is at least one source of the infection.  One of the investigator’s also reports that the food was likely contaminated in the restaurant, not prior to delivery.

Most of those who fell ill reported having eaten at the Locust Grove restaurant.  Country Cottage has remained closed voluntarily all week and it remains unclear if the restaurant—which has been in business for 22 years—will be reopening at this point.  It seems that the restaurant’s owners are “distraught.”  A total of 73 people of have either checked into the hospital or have reported symptoms.  Chad Ingle died as a result of the contamination; his funeral occurred yesterday.  Also, medical examiners are investigating another death:  That of an 83-year-old Locust Grove man who reportedly ate at Country Cottage. (more…)

United Kingdom researchers report that more people than was at first believed could be at a higher risk of suffering a stroke due to antipsychotic drugs.  Earlier research only pointed to some types of the drug as increasing the risk, especially for those diagnosed with dementia.  Now, a study published in the British Medical Journal says all forms of antipsychotic drugs increase stroke risk and this increase occurs in all patients.

Typically, antipsychotics are prescribed to control psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and some severe forms of depression.  Atypically, antipsychotic drugs are believed to be widely used to control some dementia symptoms, such as aggression; many experts disagree on this use.  Anitpsychotics are characterized into two categories:  The newer “atypical” - including Zyprexa, Seroquel and Risperdal -  and the older “typical” antipsychotics.  In 2002, when concerns were raised over antipsychotic use, the focus was on “atypicals,” which led to a recommendation from drug safety advocates in the United Kingdom that such drugs should not be prescribed to dementia patients.  The UK government has been urged to strengthen this suggestion when completing its pending dementia strategy. (more…)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported that the massive Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that sickened about 1,400 people across the country appears to be over.  “The number of reported cases has been dropping since early July,” and the figures appear to be in line with what is typical for Salmonella during this time of year, said Dr. Robert Tauxe, the deputy director of the CDC Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases.  “There are some cases of this infection that occur every year,” he said.

Initial results from a CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation determined that jalapeño peppers seemed to be a major carrier of the bacteria, as were serrano peppers, Tauxe said. Tomatoes, which were initially identified as the cause, were still possibly a source, he said.  Last month, the FDA lifited its warning to consumers to avoid a variety of raw tomatoes.  The FDA said the contaminated jalapeño and serrano peppers, which were grown in Mexico, were no longer in circulation and said Thursday that it was lifting its advice to avoid eating raw jalapeño and serrano peppers grown, harvested or packed in Mexico. (more…)

An explosion at a Bayer chemical plant outside of Charleston, West Virginia last night has killed one worker and injured another. The Bayer CropScience plant manufactures pesticides, and officials were urging residents in several communities nearby to stay in their homes Thursday night as a precaution.

According to the Charleston Daily Mail, the worker killed in the explosion was identified as Barry Withrow, of Cross Lanes, who worked at the plant for more than 20 years. Emergency crews recovered his body between 3 and 4 a.m. this morning. (more…)

Chantix maker Pfizer Inc. has hit upon an unusual marketing strategy for the smoking cessation drug - running ads that never even name the drug.  According to The Wall Street Journal, such “unbranded product advertising” is becoming increasingly common in pharmaceutical marketing.  These types of promotions are growing in popularity because there is no requirement that they include important safety information consumers should know.

Anyone who watches television has seen Pfizer’s ad for Chantix, although they might not know it. In the spot, a middle-age woman tells the camera, “At 6:30 in the morning, I have a cigarette. And then another on my way to work.” Viewers are then directed to Mytimetoquit.com, where they can receive information on smoking cessation. Visitors to the site find a link to a Chantix site that contains information on the antismoking drug, including the negative side effects. (more…)

Around 900,000 deadly Simplicity Bassinets, blamed for killing two children, are being removed from stores across the country.  According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), six retailers - Wal-Mart, Toys “R” Us, Kmart, Big Lots, Target and J.C. Penney - have voluntary agreed to stop selling Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Convertible “Close-Sleeper” model bassinets.  The announcement came one day after the CPSC warned consumers to stop using the Simplicity Bassinets.  No recall was issued at that time because the company that now owns Simplicity Inc. refused to do so.

According to the CPSC, the bassinets contain metal bars paced farther apart than 2 3/8 inches, the maximum distance allowed under federal crib safety standards.  This defect poses a strangulation hazard. Parents and caregivers should stop using the Simplicity Bassinet immediately and return it to  the store where purchased for a refund or store credit. (more…)

The Associated Press is reporting that the California Assembly has reversed itself and approved a bill  to limit the amount of the chemical Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) that has been linked to cancer in food packaging.  The measure—by Senator Ellen Corbett-Democrat-San Leandro—would permit no more than 10 parts per billion (ppb) of PFOA in food packing such as fast-food wrappers, pizza boxes, and beverage containers.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers PFOA potentially carcinogenic and says businesses should voluntarily stop using it by 2015.  A spokeswoman for Corbett said the bill would make California the first state to essentially ban use of the compound in food containers; 10 ppb is the smallest PFOA amount detectable by tests.  Although the Assembly rejected the bill last week, lawmakers reconsidered it after Corbett agreed to make a minor amendment.  Yesterday’s vote of 42-29 returned the bill to the Senate for a vote on Assembly amendments. (more…)

Two recently-released, separate studies on medications used in the prevention and treatment of stroke both question the benefit of blood pressure medicine and a popular blood thinner for use in the prevention of stroke recurrence.  In the first study, patients who were taking the blood pressure drug Micardis (telmisartan) were no less likely to have another stroke than those patients who were taking a placebo.  The second study found that when aspirin was combined with the anti-platelet drug Persantine (dipyridamole), the combination also performed no better than the standard anti-clotting treatment Plavix (clopidogrel)for reducing the chance of stroke.

“We found no evidence that either of the two treatments was superior to the other in the prevention of recurrent stroke,” said Ralph Sacco of the University of Miami.  Sacco led the study.  “Even though, in science, you always strive to find a superior treatment, in this case it gives us options for treatment depending on the patient and their response to the different medications.”  Both research papers were released online by the New England Journal of Medicine and were based on the “Profess” study.  The Profess study reviewed data from 20,332 patients from 695 medical centers located in 35 countries. (more…)

Maple Leaf Foods Chief Executive, president Michael McCain, said in a news conference that his company is fully accountable for a massive listeriosis outbreak, which has been linked to deaths of 15 people in Canada.  Maple Leaf is Canada’s biggest meat processor.  “The buck stops right here,” McCain said in a news conference.  “We have excellent systems and processes in place but this week it’s our best efforts that failed—not the regulators, not the Canadian food safety system,” McCain said.  “I emphasize this is our accountability and it’s ours to fix, which we are taking on fully,” he added.

The company is facing a number of class action suits and has withdrawn all 220 or so products made at its Toronto plant as a precaution.  The recall is one of Canada’s largest-ever food recalls.  Samples of two deli meats produced at the Toronto plant tested positive for the same strain of listeria bacteria that sickened dozens of Canadians this summer, including 15 people who have since died.  Meats from the plant were shipped to nursing homes, hospitals, restaurants, and stores. (more…)

Stryker Corp., the maker of hip implant components recalled earlier this year, is claiming that it is being harassed by two government agencies.  In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in New Jersey on Aug. 15, the device maker claims that a subpoena served by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General represents an “abuse of process”.

In October 2007, Stryker settled with the U.S. Attorney’s Office an earlier investigation in which its orthopedics division was allegedly paying surgeons kickbacks for using Stryker products. At the same time, four other orthopedic-implant-makers also settled and paid $310 million in fines. Stryker cooperated in that earlier investigation and did not pay a fine. (more…)