Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, Health Canada, and Stork Craft Manufacturing, Inc. of British Columbia, Canada announced the largest crib recall in U.S. history today, adding fire to a growing push for the ban of drop-side cribs, which have been the cause of numerous safety recalls. The latest recall involves 2.1 million drop-side cribs manufactured under the Stork Craft label, including about 150,000 units bearing the Fisher-Price brand name.

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Just in time for the holiday season, W.A.T.C.H. (World Against Toys Causing Harm), a Massachusetts-based consumer watchdog organization, announced its annual “10 Worst Toys” list at a conference in Boston’s Franciscan Hospital for Children. According to the organization’s website, “Founder Edward M. Swartz and W.A.T.C.H. have fearlessly exposed potentially dangerous toys to the general public. As a result, children’s lives have been saved.”

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To help educate parents about toy safety, Consumer Product Safety CommissionChairman Inez Tenenbaum held a town-hall style meeting in New York City. Discussions centered on new federal safety rules that raise the standards for toys and help protect children from unnecessary harm.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on manufacturers of alcoholic energy drinks, giving them 30 days to provide scientific evidence that their caffeinated crossover beverages are safe. FDA letters went out to nearly 30 manufacturers recently, representing the earliest stages in the government’s efforts to curb what researchers consider a dangerous trend: the mixing of alcohol and caffeine.

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A weight loss dietary supplement is being recalled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after an FDA analysis found the supplements contain the presence of undeclared drug ingredients, including a suspected cancer-causing agent. The recalled supplement is made by GMP Herbal Products and is marketed under the name Pai You Guo.

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Foreign particle contamination of several products used to treat rare, serious and life-threatening diseases has prompted a warning by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The warning includes products made by Genzyme and marketed as Cerezyme, Fabrayzme, Myozyme, Aldurazyme and Thyrogen – used to treat serious conditions such as Gaucher Disease and thyroid cancer. The foreign particles found in the medications include stainless steel fragments, non-latex rubber from the vial stopper, and fiber-like material from the manufacturing process, and could potentially cause serious adverse events in patients.

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A device used to block off the aorta, monitor aortic pressure, and deliver solution to stop the heart during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures has been recalled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because the device’s balloon catheters may spontaneously rupture during surgery and may result in serious health consequences or death to patients.

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Yesterday I finally received the letter from Toyota announcing the recall of my Tacoma truck and 7 other Toyota and Lexus models manufactured in recent years. Toyota announced last month that it would notify owners of certain models that their vehicles had the potential to accelerate suddenly and unexpectedly. The company has been working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to discover the cause of the problem, develop a solution, and keep consumers informed.

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External biphasic defibrillators, monitor/defibrillators and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) used to provide cardioversion therapy to patients are being investigated by the Food and Drug Administration following reports that the devices designed to deliver 200 J (joules) were ineffective during use.

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“We are now in a position never before experienced in the history of influenza,” said Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, in a letter to health care providers about the safety and availability of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine. Just as a new and serious virus is spreading widely around the country, causing hospitalizations and deaths, a vaccine is becoming available to help prevent infection and protect the public.”

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