QFCO, Inc. of Burlingame, California is recalling White Rabbit Candy because of possible melamine contamination.  The White Rabbit candies were distributed to California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington state through wholesale distributors to retail stores.

The White Rabbit Creamy Candy is sold in eight- or 16-ounce packages; all other flavors, including Assorted—Chocolate, Coconut, and Coffee—Red Bean, Coffee, Corn, Lychee, Mango, and Strawberry are sold in seven-ounce packages.  All White Rabbit candy packaging contains a logo of a white rabbit on the front with the words “White Rabbit.”  The recall was implemented when it was discovered that the candies have been contaminated with the toxic chemical melamine.  Anyone who has purchased White Rabbit Candy is urged to return the candy to the place of purchase for a full refund or discard the candy in the trash.  Consumers with questions may contact the company at (650) 697-6633. (more…)

Energy drinks, including Red Bull and Rockstar, can contain potentially harmful levels of caffeine – as much as 14 cans of Coca-Cola, according to a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University.  The researchers involved in the study say the drinks should carry warning labels displaying their caffeine content and possible health risks.

A 12-ounce soft drink generally contains around 35 milligrams of caffeine, while the same size energy drink can contain as much of 500 milligrams.  Unfortunately, most consumers have no idea how much caffeine is contained in any given energy drink.  Most energy drinks are sold as  dietary supplements, and by U.S. law, their makers do not have to submit safety evaluations to federal regulators before the products are marketed.  Unlike soft drinks, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) does not require that caffeine levels be listed on energy drinks.  They are also not required by the agency to comply with the maximum caffeine content for soda and other beverages.     (more…)

The Michigan Department of Community Health has announced that bagged lettuce from Detroit-based produce distributor Aunt Mid’s Produce Company, is the probable source of the recent E. coli outbreak that seems to have originated in that state.  Following the announcement, Michigan State University (MSU) removed iceberg lettuce from its residence halls.  This outbreak has sickened 26 people in Michigan and several others in New York, Ohio, Illinois, and Oregon.  Some of those who fell ill included inmates at Michigan’s Lenawee County Jail.

“That pretty much nailed the fact that it was a national distributor,” MSU University Physician Beth Alexander said regarding the related cases emerging in other states. “There can be many distributors of one farm.  If you trace it back to where the product is produced they might sell to several distributors.”  Aunt Mid’s released a statement Friday saying, “(Aunt Mid’s) has already voluntarily initiated testing procedures by an independent laboratory.  In the meantime, Aunt Mid’s is voluntarily suspending any processing and sale of its iceberg lettuce product line.”  Although MSU cafeterias will continue to provide other types of lettuce, Alexander was unsure when iceberg lettuce would return to the university’s menus. (more…)

A defective Medtronic catheter used in the company’s implantable intrathecal pain pumps has been linked to the death of one patient.  In June, the company alerted doctors to the problem, but now, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has classified  Medtronic’s catheter safety alert a Class I recall.  Such a recall is defined as a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause injury or death.

Medtronic’s intrathecal drug delivery systems consist of an implantable pump and catheter that deliver small quantities of drug directly into the intrathecal space in the spine.  These devices are used to treat chronic, intractable pain and for the management of severe spasticity of cerebral or spinal origin. The Medtronic catheter recall involves the following models:  INDURA 1P Intrathecal Catheter, model 8709SC, Intrathecal Catheter, model 8731SC, Sutureless Pump Connector Revision Kit, model 8578, and Intrathecal Catheter Pump Segment Revision Kit, model 8596SC.   (more…)

The European Union (EU) banned imports of baby food containing Chinese milk Thursday when the toxic chemical melamine that has been illegally added to China’s dairy supplies was found in candy and other Chinese-made goods worldwide.

The EU, which is comprised of 27 nations, significantly adds to the growing list of countries that have banned or recalled Chinese dairy products over melamine contamination; melamine is responsible for killing four Chinese babies and sickening 54,000.  Three zoo babies developed kidney stones after being nursed with tainted milk powder for over a year and a lion cub and two baby orangutans were sickened after drinking infant formula made by the Sanlu Group Co., said Zhang Xu, a veterinarian with the Hangzhou Zhangxu Animal Hospital.  The European Commission is also calling for additional reviews on other Chinese food imports. (more…)

A new study reports that American children are about three times likelier to be prescribed psychotropic medications than children in Europe.  The study states that the differences may be attributable to regulatory practices and cultural beliefs about the role of medication in emotional and behavioral problems.

Julie Zito led the team comprised of researchers from the U.S., Germany, and the Netherlands.  The group investigated prescription levels in the three countries.  Zito reported that, “Antidepressant and stimulant prevalence were three or more times greater in the U.S. than in the Netherlands and Germany, while antipsychotic prevalence was 1.5 to 2.2 times greater.”  The use of antidepressants, such as Prozac, and stimulants, such as Ritalin, in children has been the subject of much controversy; this study is believed to quantify the differences in practice between the US and Western Europe. (more…)

The Associated Press is reporting that the U.S. government’s largest ever alternative medicine study has stopped enrollment while “officials investigate whether participants were fully informed of the risks and are being adequately protected.”  Over 1,500 heart attack survivors are involved in the $30 million research, which is testing chelation therapy, a controversial treatment typically used in lead poisoning.  Those directing the research—conducted at 100 sites around the U.S. and Canada—voluntarily stopped patient enrollment when the investigation began. People already enrolled are still being treated, said a spokeswoman for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, study co-sponsor with the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

While more than two people have died, the Miami doctor leading the study—Dr. Gervasio Lamas of the University of Miami—said the “deaths were not a direct result of the treatments,” according to the AP report.  Lamas also admitted that he is unclear precisely how many deaths have occurred and acknowledged that some doctors involved “have been disciplined by state boards or have criminal records and have been asked to drop out,” the AP says. (more…)

The Associated Press is reporting that it obtained a draft report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in which the GAO states that Congressional investigators found the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) “efforts to combat food-borne illness are hampered by infrequent inspections, not enough staff, and the failure to implement a program devoted to the safety of fresh produce.”  The GAO draft report also states that a mere one percent of imported produce entering the United States is inspected and that the ongoing practice of mixing produce from more than one source makes it difficult to conduct contamination tracebacks.  The findings are being released today.

Senator Barbara Boxer—Democrat-California—and Senator Ted Kennedy—Democrat-Massachusetts—ordered the investigation following 2006’s E. coli fiasco when three people died and 200 others were sickened by contaminated bagged spinach.  That outbreak cost the leafy greens industry $86 million.  “This report paints a frightening picture of the FDA’s fresh produce safety efforts,” Boxer said.  It “should serve as a wake up call to do more to protect the nation’s food supply.” (more…)

Earlier this week we reported that Eli Lilly and Company will reveal how much money it pays physicians for speeches and consulting, starting next year.  Lilly was the first major drug maker to commit to physician payment disclosure, representing the newest example of the pharmaceutical industry’s growing openness about its practices.  Now, on the heels of that announcement, New Jersey-based drug maker Merck & Company announced that it will be releasing such disclosures, as well.

Merck said it endorses the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which is sponsored by US Senators Charles Grassley (Republican-Iowa) and Herbert Kohl (Democrat-Wisconsin).  Although the bill has not yet passed, Merck said that “even in the absence of a legislative requirement … we are committed to begin disclosure in 2009 of payments to physicians who speak on behalf of our company or our products.”  Merck announced that effective October, it will begin “enhancing transparency of our grants to patient organizations, medical professional societies,” and for “independent professional education initiatives, including accredited continuing medical education (CME).”  Merck said it plans to expand its disclosures to include other grants made by The Merck Company Foundation and the Merck Office of Corporate Contributions during 2009. (more…)

The Chinese tainted milk scandal has finally reached the U.S.  Today, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced the recall of Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products by the Taiwanese company, King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd., due to possible contamination with melamine.   The products are made by Shandong Duqing, a Chinese manufacturer.

The Mr. Brown instant coffee recall comes after melamine-tainted baby formula sickened over 53,000 infants and killed three children nationwide.  But the problems have spread far beyond China, where hundreds of international food makers have set up factories in recent years.  Just today, baby cereal in Hong Kong and snack foods in Japan were added to the list of products contaminated with melamine.  Meanwhile Taiwan reported three children and a mother with kidney stones in the island’s first cases possibly linked to the crisis. (more…)