We have long reported about the problems associated with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and adverse reactions linked to bone loss, fracture risk, and increased pneumonia risks. A new study has found that about 33,000 deaths occur annually as a result of hospital-acquired pneumonia linked to PPIs.

WebMD said the deaths could be a result of PPIs and other acid suppressants being prescribed during hospital stays to patients not necessarily in need of such medication. It is known that PPIs such as Prilosec and Nexium were investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for suspected links to cardiac trouble and, in the past, we’ve reported that because the drugs may be overly effective at stopping stomach acid production, they are known to raise pneumonia, bone loss, and fracture risk by over 40 percent in patients on long-term use.

WebMD explained that routine prescription of PPIs during hospitalizations has been linked to an increased risk—30 percent—of acquiring pneumonia, citing the study, which appears in today’s The Journal of the American Medical Association. PPIs are prescribed to reduce risks associated with stress-related ulcers, which can be life threatening, said WebMD. PPIs have also been found to be routinely given to patients with what WebMD described as “a very low risk for developing the ulcers,” according to Shoshana J. Herzig, MD, study researcher with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard School of Medicine.

The recent study is the first to look at the possibility of increased pneumonia risks in nonIntensive Care Unit (ICU) hospital patients not needing a ventilator to breathe, said WebMD. According to earlier studies, acid suppressants are prescribed to anywhere from 40-to-70 percent of all hospitalized patients in the U.S., said Web MD.

The team looked at medical records for nearly 64,000 non-ventilated, non-ICU adult patients who were hospitalized and treated at Beth Israel from 2004 to 2007 and found 52 percent were prescribed acid reducers. Of these, most—83 percent—were prescribed PPIs such as Aciphex, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix and 23 percent, acid-suppressives known as H2 blockers such as Axid, Pepcid, Tagamet, and Zantac, reported WebMD. The vast majority—nine of 10—were prescribed the drugs within 48 hours following admission.

Of the 40 million hospital patients discharged annually in the U.S., about one in five who develops hospital-acquired pneumonia will die, Web MD pointed out, translating into about 180,000 cases of hospital-acquired pneumonia and 33,000 deaths annually, the researchers concluded. Some believe pneumonia risk is increased because reducing stomach acids might allow other bacteria to fester in the upper gastrointestinal and upper respiratory tract, or by suppressing coughs, a symptom of acid reflux and which clears the lungs, explained Herzig, said WebMD.

A recent Canadian study of PPIs and osteoporosis-related fractures revealed a link between long-term PPI use and increased risk for hip, wrist, or spine fractures. We also wrote earlier this month that Plavix (clopidogrel) users were warned by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) to avoid PPIs following stent implantation because the combination increases the risks for heart attack (by 70 percent), stroke (48 percent), and other cardiovascular problems (repeat heart procedures by 35 percent), according to a prior HealthDay News report.

Two recalls of defective products, backyard trampolines and “Jitterbug” cell phones, were recently announced by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC).

Skywalker Holdings Trampolines
About 60,000 trampolines sold by Skywalker Holdings of Utah have been recalled because of an enclosure problem that creates a fall hazard. According to the CPSC, the straps supporting the top of the trampoline’s enclosure to the poles can fail. The enclosure could drop if these straps break, posing a risk that a user could fall from the trampoline. Skywalker Holdings has received at least 250 reports of straps breaking. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves the Skywalker Holdings 13-foot Square Trampoline and Enclosure Combo. The unit has blue spring pads, a black net enclosure, and a jumping mat. “Skywalker Holdings” is printed on a label located under the jumping mat and on the enclosure net. The recalled trampolines were sold at specialty stores and major retailers nationwide and online from January 2007 through February 2009 for between $400 and $600.

Consumers should immediately stop using the trampolines and contact Skywalker Holdings to obtain a free repair kit. For additional information, contact Skywalker Holdings toll-free at (866) 603-5867 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. MT Monday through Friday, or visit the company’s Web site at www.skywalkertrampolines.com.

“Jitterbug” Cell Phone Recall
Samsung Telecommunications of America is recalling 160,000 “Jitterbug” cell phones because of a defect that could result in failure to connect to emergency 911 when the phones are in a no-service area and display an “out of range, try again later” message.

This recall involves “Jitterbug” cell phones model numbers SPH-a110 and SPH-a120 with standard key pads and version BB14 software. No other Samsung wireless phones or software versions are included in this recall. The recalled cell phones were sold directly to consumers through targeted national advertisements and publications, electronics and drug stores nationwide, and on the Web at www.jitterbug.com from March 2008 through May 2009 for about $150.

Samsung and Jitterbug are directly contacting consumers to schedule a free software upgrade. Consumers should call Samsung if they have not already been contacted. For additional information, contact Samsung toll-free at (866) 304-4980 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, and on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.samsung.com.

Effective December 2, 2009, bottled water makers such as Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo Inc will be operating under stricter standards to prevent contamination by the dangerous, sometimes deadly, E. coli bacteria, reported Bloomberg.com.

The mandates includes weekly source water testing for germs, which is currently required on finished water products, said Bloomberg.com, citing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) notice, which has been posted to the agency’s Website.


A positive E. coli test will require bottlers to provide, in writing, details on how the firm removed the pathogen and to conduct retests before the water can be used, explained Bloomberg.com. “Bottled water containing E. coli will be considered adulterated, and source water containing E. coli will not be considered to be of a safe, sanitary quality and will be prohibited from use in the production of bottled water,” the FDA wrote in the notice, quoted Bloomberg.com.

The new “bottled water policies,” were first suggested this past September and were developed to meet 2006 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for public drinking water said Bloomberg, citing the FDA.

Bloomberg.com explained that E. coli “is an indicator of fecal contamination.” E. coli may cause fatal blood poisoning, cystitis, deadly septicemia, and death. Symptoms of E. coli infection include stomach cramps and watery diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days. E. coli generally taints meat through improper butchering and processing practices and, once released in the body, produces the Shiga-producing toxins that have been linked to kidney damage in young children, and can also lead to kidney failure and death.

In recent years the transmission route for E. coli is shifting and not always caused by meat consumption, with outbreaks occurring more and more with direct and indirect animal contact—zoonotic contact—such as at petting zoos, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Also, consuming contaminated produce, milk, water, or juice or swimming in or drinking sewage-contaminated water can pass the E. coli infection, as can poor hygiene or hand-washing habits when bacteria in diarrheal stools are involved. According to CDC estimates, there are over 110,000 cases of E. coli infection and 90 deaths linked to E. coli occurring in the U.S. annually.

Some shiga-producing E. coli infections—such as strain O111 and O157:H7—are diarrheagenic bacteria termed “enterohemorrhagic E. coli.” Strain O111 is the pathogen responsible for what is believed to be the largest E. coli O111 outbreak in history and that was linked to Country Cottage Restaurant. In that outbreak 314 people fell ill, scores were hospitalized, and one man died; a number of children required dialysis.

Strain O157:H7 is the more common of the strains and has been recently blamed for the Valley Meats Class I recall of 95,898 pounds of ground beef products. A Class I health hazard situation is one in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just released proposed guidelines for drug and medical device television ads meant to reduce diversions to consumers. Reuters reported that the agency said such ads should steer clear of images and music that sidetracks viewers from critical information on potential side effects.

The guidelines suggest that both benefits and risks be explained in similar type styles and voice-overs, said Reuters. The proposed guidelines were prompted by complaints pointing to drug maker tactics to minimize risks and play up benefits via distracting music and type styles, explained Reuters.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads have long been criticized. Earlier this year GlaxoSmithKline was cited by the FDA when it ran an ad for the prostate drug Avodart that featured a man working on a model of the solar system and who must stop painting to “make frequent trips to the bathroom,” said the Star Tribune in a prior report. A colleague then suggests Avodart, saying, “other medicines, they don’t treat the cause, because they don’t shrink the prostate.” FDA regulators, reported the Star Tribune, said the claim is bogus and in a letter to Glaxo’s U.S. officials, wrote that Merck’s Proscar reduces prostate size, and “has a similar indication … Nothing in the labeling for Avodart suggests any specific advantage.”

In February, Consumer Reports questioned the ethics of a Chantix (varenicline) ad that, while never mentioning Chantix, appeared to market the drug while seeming to be a public service announcement. The commercial focused on a smoking cessation Website entitled MyTimeToQuit.com that presented information in a public service format, said Consumer Reports, pointing out that it is only at the end of the ad that hints about the ad’s origin—Pfizer—are discreetly revealed. The FDA approved Chantix in 2006; side effects may include suicidal ideation, depression, and violent behavior.

As part of a settlement with 27 states, Bayer had to change how it advertises birth control medication Yaz, reported BizJournal previously. Late last year, the FDA sent Bayer a warning letter over two Yaz televisions ads that misled consumers into believing Yaz could help relieve symptoms associated with Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS) and could help in the treatment of specific types of acne. The FDA has never approved Yaz for either of these medical issues, said BizJournal. Bayer was mandated to implement a $20 million dollar campaign to “remedy” the misinformation it promoted and must submit all subsequent television advertisements to the FDA for pre-approval; comply with the FDA on TV and print advertisement suggestions; and “clearly and conspicuously” disclose for what the FDA has approved when discussing—in its print ads—those symptoms Yaz can treat, said BizJournal.

Reuters pointed to the trend of filming healthy, active, happy patients during ads’ benefits section while speeding through and using distracting music and print when filming risk information. Omitting or minimizing information on side effects is the most common violation cited by the FDA in letters to drug makers regarding misleading marketing, said Reuters. The new guidelines seek—but do not mandate—remedies such as explaining how to provide risk information in print and aired marketing to consumers and doctors, such as use of color to highlight details and how to place and time such information, said Reuters.

The Bernard Madoff trustee has reached a deal with Spain’s largest bank regarding investments two of its hedge funds made with the admitted Ponzi schemer. According to a Bloomberg.com, Banco Santander will pay $235 million to trustee Irving Picard to avoid a lawsuit. Picard has recently been filing claw back lawsuits against individuals and funds for billions of dollars in false profits they supposedly made as a result of their Madoff investments.

The two hedge funds were operated by Santander’s Optimal Investment Services unit, Bloomberg.com said. Santander said that its agreement with Picard did not imply any wrongdoing on its part.

As we reported previously, losses for Banco Santander’s clients were among the highest of any bank linked to Madoff’s investment advisory business. As a result of its Madoff’s investments, the bank’s clients lost more than $3.1 billion. Yet just weeks before Madoff’s Ponzi scheme collapsed, managers at Banco Santander’s Optimal hedge fund investment arm were praising Madoff’s supposedly “impeccable” market timing. The massive losses prompted some Santander clients to file a class action lawsuit against the bank in Miami, charging it did not perform enough due diligence in regards to its Madoff investments.

Since the lawsuit was filed, Banco Santander has offered a compensation deal to its clients. According to Bloomberg.com, a little more than 90% have accepted the offer.

Picard was hired by the Securities Investor Protection Corp. (SIPC) to liquidate Madoff’s assets in order to recover some of the $65 billion his investors lost to his scam. So far, Picard has been able to collect $1.22 billion as a result of his efforts. According to Bloomberg.com, Picard has also filed several claw back lawsuits seeking total of $10.1 billion in profits withdrawn by Madoff investors that he claims should have known of the fraud. Picard also is seeking about $735 million from Madoff customers outside of court. In spite of these efforts, most experts expect Madoff’s former investors will only recover pennies on the dollar.

According to Bloomberg, the SIPC is apparently very happy with the Santander deal. “This settlement is the result of extensive factual research, diligent legal scholarship and practical craftsmanship by the trustee and his attorneys,” SIPC President Stephen Harbeck said in a statement. “It is a road map for similar recoveries that will benefit the victims of Bernard Madoff’s crimes.”

In addition to the asset liquidation, some investors might be able to recover up to $500,000 each from the SIPC, which acts essentially as an insurance fund for victims of securities fraud. However, third-party investors – those whose Madoff investments were made through other entities – might not be eligible for the full SIPC benefit. Those investors could choose to sue the third party, and some hedge funds have already been named in such lawsuits.

On March 12, Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 fraud counts. The former chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange ran an investment advisory business for decades that was, in reality, a Ponzi scheme. Madoff faces up to 150 years in prison, and is scheduled for sentencing next month.

The water-based face paint recall issued earlier this month by Fun Express, Inc. has been expanded to include two additional face paint colors. The face paints may cause skin irritation, rashes, and itchiness, said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The additional two face paint items are being removed from the marketplace as a precautionary measure.

The face paints were manufactured by Shanghai Color Art Stationery Company Limited, of Shanghai, China. Unopened packages of the face paint can be identified as a tube printed with the words Water-Based Face Paint Net Weight 1 oz. (28.3gm) Non-Toxic Made in China. The tube is on a cardboard backing with the words “Face Paint” on the front of the package and an item number in the upper right-hand corner of the backing. Directions for use, ingredients, and “Distributed by Oriental Trading Co., Omaha, NE 68127” are also printed on the backing. The item number can be found on the back of the packaging. The two additional face paint item recalls are:

White Face Paint: Item number 85/2338
Yellow Face Paint: Item number 85/2339

The recently recalled face paints were distributed primarily to retail stores nationwide between April 2008 and April 2009.
The FDA is advising consumers in possession of any of the recalled products to immediately discard them. Fun Express, Inc. can be reached toll-free at 1-888-999-0442 between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm CST, Monday through Friday.

The earlier recall was implemented because certain cosmetic “Face Paint” items labeled as distributed by Oriental Trading Co., Omaha, Nebraska, which were disturbed nationwide, were associated with adverse event reports of skin reactions in children. The FDA learned of a cluster of adverse events in children exposed to various colors of the face paint. All exposures occurred on the same day at an organized event and included rashes, itchiness, burning sensation, and swelling where the face paints were applied. Significant microbial contamination was indicated in most of the products in testing by an FDA laboratory.

The original recall included the following Face Paints manufactured by Shanghai Color Art Stationery Company Limited, Shanghai, China, and were voluntarily recalled by Fun Express Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oriental Trading Company:

Blue Face Paint: Item number 85/2077; UPC 8 8760048110 7
Purple Face Paint: Item number 85/2078; UPC 8 8760048112 1
Red Face Paint: Item number 85/2079; UPC 8 8760048114 5
Orange Face Paint: Item number 85/2080; UPC 8 8760048116 9

Black Face Paint: Item number 85/2081; UPC 8 8760048118 3
Green Face Paint: Item number 85/2082; UPC 8 8760048120 6

A new Avastin study has confirmed the cancer drug’s link with serious, life-threatening gastrointestinal perforations. According to researchers at Stony Brook University Medical Center in Long Island, New York, people taking Avastin developed such perforations – holes in the gastrointestinal tract – at twice the rate that occurred among patients not taking the drug. Avastin already bears a Black Box warning on its label regarding its association with gastrointestinal perforations.

Avastin was the first approved therapy designed to inhibit angiogenesis, the process by which new blood vessels develop and carry vital nutrients to a tumor. Avastin was approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004 to treat metastatic colon cancer, and in 2006, the agency approved it as a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. Last year, the FDA also approved Avastin as a metastatic breast cancer treatment, and earlier this month, it was approved to treat glioblastoma multiforme, an incurable brain cancer.

The Stony Brook study involved 12,300 cancer patients in 17 clinical trial. Of those patients, 6,490 took various doses of Avastin. According to a report on WebMD, about 1% of Avastin patients developed holes in the gastrointestinal tract – twice the rate seen in patients not taking Avastin. The risk was highest in people treated with higher doses, as well as those whose cancer had spread, and in people suffering from colorectal or kidney cancers. Also, of all of the patients in the study who developed such perforations, more Avastin patients (22%) died from the complication, compared to those taking another drug (18%), WebMD said.

Avastin has been the subject of other safety concerns. When the FDA approved Avastin for breast cancer patients, it did so against the recommendation of its own advisory panel. The FDA advisory panel recommendation came after agency staffers posted documents on the FDA website noting that while Avastin did extend the period prior to patients’ breast cancer becoming worse, treatment with the drug did not markedly increase survival time. The FDA documents also pointed out that Avastin caused serious side effects, including cardiovascular problems, bowel perforations, and a few deaths. The FDA staff said that those side effects included several patient deaths that were “probably or definitely” due to Avastin.

Avastin has also been linked to a higher risk of blood clots in the veins. And in December, Genentech reported that some Avastin patients had experienced eye inflammation when it was used off-label to treat an eye condition.

Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, California, was rife with inspections problems, reported McClatchy Newspapers. The paper said federal food inspectors found a variety of problems at Setton Pistachio, which was linked to one of this year’s Salmonella outbreaks.

Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella is the second-largest supplier of pistachios in the country and sells its nuts to Kraft Foods Inc. and 35 other wholesalers nationwide, making it difficult to determine exactly how may products were affected in the Salmonella Montevideo outbreak. The Montevidio strain is the same strain Kraft Foods found in products supplied by Setton, according to an earlier Wall Street Journal. In late March, Setton recalled certain lots of its pistachios after Kraft Foods identified four Salmonella strains, including the Montevideo isolates, in its pistachios, said CIDRAP. The recall was expanded after federal regulators found Salmonella at Setton’s California facility, resulting in many hundreds of product recalls initiated by companies supplied with Setton Farms’ pistachios.

It seems, said McClatchy Newspapers, citing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that although Setton Pistachio knew of Salmonella in its roasted pistachios as far back as last October, it did not change processing procedures until March. As a matter-of-fact, in at least one situation, Setton simply re-roasted Salmonella-contaminated pistachios, mixing them with other nuts for sale. “Your firm continued to distribute roasted pistachio products after the first private laboratory sample of your roasted pistachio product was reported positive for Salmonella,” FDA inspectors advised the company, quoted McClatchy Newspapers.

Although Setton’s general manager, Lee Cohen, “adamantly disagrees,” the agency’s report discussed 17 separate inspections from the one month between March 26 and April 30 at the Terra Bella plant, said McClatchy Newspapers. Procedural flaws and flaws in the physical plant were discovered, said the paper. The flaws were cited as “inspectional observations” and not “violations” and included a “failure to manufacture, package and store foods under conditions and controls necessary to minimize the potential for growth of microorganisms and contamination,” quoted McClatchy Newspapers. “A rusty hole in the roof above one pistachio roaster, ‘thick layers of dust and debris’ in a packaging room, failure to monitor roasting temperatures, and allowing raw and roasted pistachios to potentially come into contact,” described some of the negligence and filth. “Our investigation is still ongoing,” said FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Kwisnek, adding that, “It’s not complete.”

McClatchy Newspapers reported that the Setton Pistachio plant shut down for a time this past March and recalled over two million pounds of nuts; state and federal inspectors then reported locating Salmonella in “critical areas” at the facility, including “at least eight reported Salmonella-positive test results” at the Terra Bella plant, between October 2008 and March 2009. Inspectors also said that once Setton was advised of the private laboratory test results, there were no “procedures in place” to adequately respond, reported McClatchy Newspapers.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis.

The Vioxx

trial that is ongoing in Australia and which has shed new light on the questionable tactics Merck & Co. used to market the dangerous painkiller has, said the Australian, involved a leading American cardiologist who testified that Vioxx played a “substantial contributing role” to the heart attack suffered by a 58-year-old Australian.

Vioxx was approved for use in the U.S. in 1999 and quickly became a blockbuster for Merck, with annual sales of $2.5 billion. The painkiller was pulled off the market in 2004 after an analysis of patients using Vioxx linked the defective drug to more than 27,000 heart attacks or sudden cardiac deaths in the U.S. from 1999 through 2003. Vioxx was also recalled in more than 80 countries that year. The Vioxx recall spawned thousands of product liability lawsuits and in 2007, Merck agreed to settle most U.S. Vioxx claims for $4.85 billion. But, Merck continues to defend lawsuits in other countries, including Australia.

According to Douglas Zipes’— a cardiologist from Indiana University—testimony, he “strongly believed” Vioxx was a significant contributing factor in Graeme Peterson’s –a 58-year-old former Australian Navy Officer—2003 heart attack. The class action is against U.S. Vioxx manufacturer Merck & Co as well as its Australian subsidiary Merck, Sharp and Dohme, said The Australian. Richard Harper, from Melbourne’s Monash University told the court that Vioxx “exacerbated” Peterson’s risk factors saying, “I believed Vioxx doubled his risk of heart attack. It increased the risk of someone who was already at a high risk,” quoted The Australian. The Australian reported that other experts found no so-call physical “footprint” to prove Vioxx caused the heart attack, citing other risk factors. One of the claims being made in the large class action is that Merck was aware of Vioxx’s cardiovascular risks long before the drug’s withdrawal from the market.

Meanwhile, recently the Australian Vioxx trial also revealed that Merck paid so-called nurses to look through medical records in search of potential Vioxx patients, said BNET in a prior report. According to the Australian court, the nurses accessed patient records without obtaining physician permission in the hopes of garnering 100 patients per doctor, explained BNET. Patients were sought who were not taking, but were seen as potential candidates to take, Vioxx, said BNET, citing a prior The Australian report.

It seems, said The Australian, that the drug giant urged pharmacists to recommend Vioxx to those patients who were prescribed paracetemol by providing them with free copies of the Merck manual, according to BNET. Merck also apparently put on a year-end “skit” in which Merck sales reps mocked the Journal of the American Medical Association. The Journal published an article discussing Vioxx and issues with its cardiovascular side effects, said BNET.

News of the skit is somewhat ironic, especially given recent reports on one of the most shocking tactics used by Merck to push Vioxx in Australia: The use of a fake medical journal. The journal, published by Elsevier, was offering it like other peer-reviewed medical journals, but contained only reprinted or summarized articles, all of which presented Merck products, including Vioxx, in a favorable light. According to an earlier New York Times piece, Merck published several issues of the “journal,” entitled Australasian Journal of Bone and Joint Medicine, between 2002 and 2005, presenting the journal to doctors as a real medical journal.

Federal regulators will soon be headed to Virginia to investigate the state’s Chinese drywall problem. According to WVEC.com, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) is expected to be in the state in “a week or so” to test homes with Chinese drywall.

Virginia is just one of several states where homeowners have complained about Chinese drywall that fills homes with a putrid, “rotten-eggs” odor, causes metals to corrode, and leads to sinus and respiratory problems in people living with the material. The CPSC has been in Florida – where such reports first originated – testing drywall, but has not reached any conclusions about the health hazards posed by the wallboard. However, at a Senate hearing last week, CPSC toxicologist Lori Saltzman said that people living with the Chinese drywall in 16 states where problems had been reported did have common health symptoms. She also said that some CPSC investigators had experienced similar symptoms when visiting affected homes in Florida.

Several days before the Senate hearing, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released results of tests it conducted that compared Chinese drywall to American-made material. The tests found sulfur and two organic compounds associated with acrylic paint in the Chinese drywall that were not present in the American wallboard. The agency said more testing is needed to determine if any of the compounds found in the Chinese drywall are responsible for problems reported by homeowners.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the U.S. imported roughly 309 million square feet of drywall from China during the housing boom from 2004 to 2007. In Virginia, the construction supply firm Venture Supply has said it imported 100,000 sheets of China-made drywall between March 2006 and December 2008. According to a lawsuit filed by a group of Hampton Roads homeowners, some of that drywall made it into the 240-unit Harbor Walk condo complex in Norfolk.

One builder in Virginia, The Dragas Companies, has acknowledged some of the homes it built have been the subject of drywall complaints. As we’ve reported previously, the firm is inspecting nearly every home it built in The Hampshires at Greenbrier in Chesapeake and in Cromwell Park in Virginia Beach. Dragas is also paying to fix homes with imported drywall and helping residents relocate for a few months while the work is being done.

Last week’s Senate hearing was attended by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA). Though not a member of the subcommittee that convened the hearing, he was permitted to ask questions. According to hamptonroads.com, the Senator urged officials to publish information for homeowners on how to deal with the drywall while legal and regulatory agencies work on a resolution.

Warner also voiced concerns that the Chinese drywall problem could turn out to be much worse than first thought. “I fear that we’re just at the tip of an iceberg of what could be a… national disaster, that is both a health care disaster and for many families is going to be a financial disaster,” Warner said.