Parker Waichman Alonso LLP Announces Opening of Dedicated Claims Center To Evaluate Numerous Possible Lawsuits Related to Defective Sprint Fidelis Leads Used With Medtronic Implantable Defibrillators.

(New York) October 24, 2007 – The defective Medtronic Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator Leads were implanted into hundreds of thousands of people, leaving all of them at risk for serious injury if a Sprint Fidelis Lead fractures. As a result of this, Parker Waichman Alonso LLP has opened a dedicated Claims Center within their office to review the potential lawsuits of people who were implanted with defective Sprint Fidelis Leads used with Medtronic defibrillators. Medtronic suspended sales and recalled all unused Sprint Fidelis Leads on October 15, 2007 after receiving reports of at least 5 fatalities linked to lead fractures. Parker Waichman Alonso LLP recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of a man who had to undergo a dangerous and life-threatening surgical procedure after a Sprint Fidelis Lead fractured. Parker Waichman Alonso LLP is seeking class action status for this lawsuit to represent all persons in the United States who were implanted with defective leads manufactured by Medtronic, Inc.

If you or a loved one received a Sprint Fidelis Lead with a Medtronic implantable defibrillator, please contact our claims center by visiting www.yourlawyer.com. Free case evaluations are also available by calling 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).

More Medtronic Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator Lead Lawsuit Claims Center Opens to Aid Victims

Target has issued a magnetic toy set recall for 110,000 game pieces included with some backpacks sold by the discount store chain. The magnets have a tendency to come loose, and could be hazardous if swallowed by young children. The recall, which was announced yesterday by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), includes game pieces that accompanied backpacks featuring characters from the movie “Cars.”

This is not the first recall the CPSC has announced for magnetic toy sets, which can cause serious injuries to children if ingested. If a child swallows more than one of the powerful magnets, they can become attracted to each other in the intestinal tract. This can cause the intestines to twist, and can lead to bowel obstructions, intestinal perforations and other serious injuries.

More Target Magnetic Toy Set Recall Issued for Dangerous Game Pieces Included with “Cars” Backpacks

E. coli testing at meat processing plants should increase dramatically under new rules set to be implemented by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The changes were prompted after the USDA was criticized for its handling of the Topps Meat Company ground beef recall earlier this month. The USDA hopes the changes will stem the rising tide of meat-related E. coli outbreaks and recalls, which have hit record numbers this year.

On September 25, the Topps Meat Company recalled more than 300,000 pounds of frozen ground beef after it was tied to 6 cases of E. coli in New York State. Dozens more cases of E. coli linked to tainted Topps ground beef were soon confirmed around the country, and by September 29, Topps had recalled another 21.7 million pounds of meat. Topps, a privately-held company controlled by Buffalo-based Strategic Investments & Holdings Inc., soon announced that it would be going out of business.

More USDA E. Coli Testing of Meat to Increase Following Topps Ground Beef Recall

An Avandia black box warning about its potential to cause heart attacks could soon appear on the drug’s label if officials at the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) have their way. The FDA is said to be pushing hard for the black box warning, the FDA’s strictest, to be including on Avandia’s label regarding the heart attack risks associated with the controversial diabetes drug. Avandia already carries a warning about heart failure risks, but a new black box heart attack warning would be far more serious.

Avandia has been a subject of debate since May 21, when an analysis of 42 clinical trails published by the Cleveland Clinic showed that patients taking the drug had a 43-percent higher risk of having a heart attack. Since the Cleveland Clinic study was published, a great deal of controversy has swirled around Avandia. In June, Congress held hearings to discuss Avandia and the FDA’s handling of its safety issues. At those hearings, it was revealed that GaxoSmithKline, Avandia’s manufacturer, had informed the FDA of a study it had conducted that produced similar results. However, both the agency and the manufacturer felt that more investigation was needed before conclusions could be made about Avandia’s possible safety issues. Since those revelations were made public, the FDA has been under a great deal of pressure to take action on Avandia.

More Avandia Black Box Warning on Heart Attack Risk Could Soon Be a Reality

Baxter COLLEAGUE infusion pumps have been malfunctioning again under certain conditions, prompting new warnings from the company. According to a letter sent to its Canadian customers, Baxter has received reports of incidents where the COLLEAGUE triple channel infusion pumps stopped infusing. According to the “Urgent Device Correction” notice issued by Baxter, the company is working on a software solution to fix the problem with its COLLEAGUE triple channel infusion pumps.

The Baxter infusion pumps affected by the correction notice include Baxter COLLEAGUE triple channel Mono, CX and CXE Volumetric infusion pumps with product codes of 2M8153, 2M8163, 2M9163, DNM8153 and DNM9183. According to the correction notice, Baxter has received reports from 3 Canadian customers of at least six instances where defective COLLEAGUE infusion pumps stopped infusing. In each instance, the pump issued an audible and visual alarm and displayed the error code 16:310:867:0002 before it stopped. Baxter said that this malfunction of the COLLEAGUE infusion pumps occurred when the capacity of the buffer memory device was exceeded. While no injuries have been reported in relation to the defective Baxter COLLEAGUE infusion pumps, the company said that lab tests of the pumps showed that this malfunction had a high probability of occurring under certain circumstances.

More Baxter COLLEAGUE Infusion Pumps Malfunction Yet Again

Gadolinium based MRI contrast agents and Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis/ Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NSF/NFD) have been linked in yet another study. This time, researchers in Scotland have confirmed that gadolinium based contrast agents used in MRI’s are strongly associated with the onset of this often fatal disorder in people suffering from pre-existing kidney disease. Their findings only add to the growing body of evidence that shows a strong connection between NSF/NFD and gadolinium based contrast agents that are often used in MRIs.

The Scottish gadolinium MRI contrast agent study looked at 1,826 patients who underwent renal replacement therapy at two Glasgow hospitals between January 1, 2000 and July 1, 2006. Of those patients, 421 underwent an MRI that involved the use of a gadolinium based contrast agent. Fourteen were diagnosed with NSF/NFD, and of those, 13 had been exposed to gadolinium during an MRI. The researchers also found that the patients with NSF/NFD had received far higher doses of gadolinium than those patients who were exposed to gadolinium but did not develop the disorder.

More Gadolinium MRI Contrast Agents Linked to NSF in Scottish Study

The lead testing kits many anxious parents are turning to in order to determine if their children’s toys are safe are practically useless, says the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC made that determination after evaluations of the lead testing kits revealed that they were highly inaccurate. The CPSC decided to review the lead testing kits because they have become very popular following a string of recalls for lead tainted toys over the summer.

Toy safety has received a great deal of attention this year. Since August, toy giant Mattel has issued 3 separate toy recalls for lead hazards and other problems. In June, the RC2 Company recalled more than 1 million lead-tainted Thomas and Friends toy trains. Children’s jewelry and character notebooks have also been recalled for the same reason. And just last week, bookmarks, Halloween pails and children’s puppet theaters, along with toy animal figures sold at Wal-Mart have all been recalled for excessive amounts of lead. Lead can cause a wide range of health problems, including learning disabilities and brain damage, if it is ingested by small children.

More Lead Testing Kits Won’t Find Lead In Toys, CPSC Warns

Bausch & Lomb Inc, the maker of defective Renu with MoisturLoc Contact Lens Solution, now faces 573 product liability lawsuits stemming from eye infections caused by the recalled product. Those lawsuits include 550 individual lawsuits and a consolidated federal class action suit. According to a regulatory disclosure filed by Bausch & Lomb yesterday, those lawsuits have been filed in various federal and state courts in the US, as well as in courts outside the country.

Bausch & Lomb’s legal troubles began in 2006, when Renu with MoistureLoc was linked to Fusarium Keratitis, a rare eye infection that had the potential to cause blindness. The company pulled MoistureLoc from Asian markets in February 2006, and did the same in U.S. in April, before finally issuing a worldwide recall on May 15, 2006.

More Renu with MoisturLoc Lawsuits Continue to Plague Bausch & Lomb

This month’s Medtronic defibrillator Sprint Fidelis lead recall has prompted Congress to initiate of review of the procedures the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) uses to test heart device components. The review is being undertaken by the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which sent a letter to the FDA asking officials there a series of questions about the agency’s oversight of defibrillator leads.

Medtronic suspended sales and recalled all unused Sprint Fidelis leads last Monday, after receiving reports of 5 fatalities linked to lead fractures. A lead is a wire that connects an implantable defibrillator to the heart. When it breaks, the defibrillator can emit a massive and painful shock. And in the worse case scenario, the fractured lead can prevent a defibrillator from sending a necessary, lifesaving shock to the heart. Replacing a lead is not an easy procedure, as the invasive surgery can cause the tissue of the blood vessels and heart to tear. In fact, replacing a defibrillator lead is so risky that patients with defective Sprint Fidelis leads are being told to leave the components in place unless they fracture.

More Medtronic Defibrillator Sprint Fidelis Lead Recall Sparks Congressional Investigation

MRSA, a type of bacteria that sometimes causes deadly infections, and other germs are quickly becoming resistant to most common antibiotics. These drug-resistant strains now pose a major public health crisis, as doctors are left with fewer and fewer options for fighting them.

MRSA, short for methicillin-resistant Staphlococcus aureas, has been making news for several weeks, after it turned up in at least a half dozen of schools across the country. The drug resistant infection recently killed one student in Virginia, and according to the Centers for Disease Control, this “Superbug” is responsible for more deaths each year in the United States than the AIDS virus.

More MRSA, Other Drug Resistant Bacteria Emerge as Serious Threat to Public Health