Although he claimed to have been motivated only by a desire to help people, in the end Brian O’Connell’s legacy will always remain one of deceit and death.

While O’Connell held himself out as a doctor who had unconventional cures for terminally ill cancer patients, his bizarre treatments did no such thing. In fact, they sound reminiscent of the kind of cure-all remedies sold off the back of covered wagons by the so-called “snake oil” salesmen of yesteryear.
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A New York Supreme Court judge in Manhattan appears to be ready to give final approval to a settlement that will see software giant Microsoft Corp. pay up to $350 million to residents of New York state who bought software from the company between 1994 and 2004.

This marks the 15th and latest in a series of state class-action suits against Microsoft to be settled following the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust case.
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GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the world’s second largest pharmaceutical company, has announced that, by April, radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs) will be attached to bottles of its antiretroviral drug Trizivir that are shipped to the United States.

GSK is taking this step as part of a pilot project designed in partnership with IBM to prevent counterfeiting of the drug. Pfizer has been using similar technology to tag bottles of Viagra since January.
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The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and RadioShack Corp. of Fort Worth, Texas, have announced the voluntary recall of about 25,000 Child Guidance Toy Pliers, because the toy’s sliding yellow knob can detach thereby posing a choking hazard to young children. Consumers should stop using these products immediately.

The recalled toys were manufactured in China and sold at RadioShack stores nationwide and on the RadioShack Web site from August 2004 through February 2006 for about $6.
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By Steven DiJoseph 

It was only last summer that medical experts and health officials on both sides of the Atlantic expressed concern over the emergence and spread of various strains of antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis (TB).

In the UK, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) was battling a potentially fatal strain of TB known as isoniazid-resistant TB which first appeared in north London in 2000. Since that time, some 200 cases of the disease have been reported throughout the UK, although London, with 188, is the real “hot spot.
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According to a study conducted by the American Cancer Society, people who smoke and drink should be screened for colon cancer before non-smokers and non-drinkers since they tend to develop the disease earlier than those who refrain from smoking and drinking. Drinking alcohol and using tobacco products also increases the risk of developing all types of cancer.
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North Country Spring Water, Ltd. of Port Kent, New York, is recalling all of its bottled water products due to a possible contamination with total coliform bacteria and diatoms (algae).

According to the FDA, “the New York State Department of Health has confirmed coliform bacteria and diatoms in some samples of bottled water produced by North Country Spring Water, Ltd.”
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By Steven DiJoseph
 
Although less than two weeks have passed since a Phase I drug trial went haywire at the clinical research facility at Northwick Park Hospital in northwest London, the drug testing industry has been rocked to its core.  

When eight healthy young men volunteered to enter a drug trial of an investigational medication, no one expected the disaster that was about to follow. Six of the men were given the drug (in very small doses) and two were given a placebo. All six who received
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The Food and Drug Administration has announced that Brach’s Confections, Inc. of Dallas, Texas “is recalling a limited production lot of Sam’s Choice Belgian Milk Chocolate Bars, because they may contain undeclared almonds.” 

People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to almonds run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
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MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is a gasoline additive which has been used since 1979. It was originally used to help gasoline burn more smoothly and efficiently after lead was phased out as an additive. At room temperature, MTBE is a volatile, flammable, and colorless liquid that is more soluble in water than most other gasoline components.

Starting in 1992, oil companies started adding MTBE to gasoline to improve combustion and decrease harmful carbon monoxide emissions from motor vehicles, especially in the winter months. The goal was to improve the air quality in urban areas and to help cities meet Clean Air Act standards.
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