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Heart & Respiratory
& Related Newswire
7/5/2006 9:30:00 PM | Witness says studies showed Vioxx users at risk of heart ailments 
=(0) More compelling testimony for the plaintiffs in the California Vioxx trial: Dr. Lemuel Moye of the University of Texas said his analysis of early Vioxx trials concluded that the risks of heart attack and stroke outweighed the benefits. Further, some trials excluded patients who were at a higher risk of heart attack, thus skewing the resu...
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7/5/2006 5:26:00 PM | Lay's Death Viewed as Cautionary Tale of Catastrophic Stress =(0) From a medical point of view, Ken Lay's death, if confirmed to be due to heart disease, was not surprising. Uncontrollable, devastating life events are known to be risk factors for sudden cardiac death. They can bring on ventricular fibrillation followed by cardiac arrest, or cause an artery to close up or plaque (chunk of cholesterol) to brea...
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7/4/2006 1:07:00 AM | Tiffany settles over teether allegations =(0) Tiffany & Co. will pay a $262,500 civil penalty for failing to report a hazard discovered in its baby teether rattles in 2004. The company received at least 3 reports of a central bar breaking because of defective solder joints, leading to the release of small objects which could be inhaled or swallowed by babies. Tiffany discontinued the...
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6/30/2006 3:12:00 PM | Merck Scientist Testifies Vioxx Caused More Heart Attacks Than ... =(0) Jurors for the California Vioxx trial continued to view videotaped depositions on the third day of the trial. A Merck researcher, Dr. Deborah Shapiro, testified that a 1999 study of 8000 patients showed that those given Vioxx had four times the number of heart attacks than those given Aleve (naproxen), an older NSAID. Merck claims that there i...
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6/29/2006 5:49:00 PM | 1994 Outbreak on Cruise Ship Horizon Results in Jury Award to ... =(0) The recent spate of gastrointestinal virus outbreaks on cruise ships is not a new phenomenon; in 1994 there was an outbreak of the far more dangerous Legionnaires' Disease on a Celebrity Cruise Line ship. Sixteen passengers on nine separate departures were affected, with one death. Passengers filed individual and class action lawsuits aga...
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6/29/2006 4:09:00 AM | Diseases caused by pollution cost state =(0) A Minnesota advocacy group reports that the State loses well over a billion dollars a year by having to fund medical and social programs to deal with an increase in childhood diseases caused by toxic pollution. Eliminating problems such as lead paint in old homes and soil, mercury in fish and toxic chemicals just about everywhere, would pay fo...
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6/29/2006 3:04:00 AM | Testimony: Feds not told about tests that exposed Vioxx dangers =(0) The former head of Merck's research laboratories was heard in a video deposition on the second day of the Vioxx trial in California. Dr. Edward Scolnick said that two studies in 2001 showed that patients on Vioxx were 2-4 times more likely to die than patients on placebo; however Merck did not submit these results to the FDA. Merck is being su...
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6/28/2006 9:13:00 AM | Plaintiff says Merck knew of potential dangers with Vioxx =(0) The first Vioxx trial to be held in California is under way. In opening statements, the plaintiff's lawyer said that Merck was aware of Vioxx's risks as far back as 1996 and did not inform doctors. Furthermore, the company specifically trained salespeople to downplay the risks. Stewart Grossberg claims the drug caused his heart attack an...
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6/27/2006 10:11:00 PM | Journal Corrects Vioxx Article to Reflect Short-Term Heart Risk =(0) The New England Journal of Medicine has issued a correction with regard to a study on the heart risks of Vioxx. The study, released in 2005 and funded by Merck, the drug company that made Vioxx, concluded that the risks of heart attack began only after 18 months of Vioxx treatment. A followup study, however, adds more data which suggests...
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6/27/2006 8:49:00 PM | Doctors advised to curb beta-blockers =(0) Health officials in Britain advise doctors to avoid prescribing "beta-blockers" as routine treatment for high blood pressure. While the drugs work, other medications now exist that work better with fewer side effects. Beta blockers carry an increased risk of type II diabetes, and symptoms such as lethargy. Recommendations are calcium chan...
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6/27/2006 6:32:00 PM | Plaintiff Lawyers Like Vioxx Correction =(0) Lawyers who lost Vioxx cases to Merck (three such cases, so far) are encouraged by the news that the New England Journal of Medicine has issued a correction with regard to a Vioxx study it published last year. The correction removed references to the crucial 18 month time period that Merck claims is a safe period before heart side effects kick in.&...
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6/27/2006 4:03:00 PM | Heart troubles often lead to depression =(0) A study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that depression after heart surgery is a very common effect; up to half of patients who undergo treatment for blocked arteries may develop it. Part of the reason may be psychological, a reaction to illness; part may be damage to blood vessels in the brain as a result...
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6/27/2006 2:25:00 PM | Medtronic drug-eluting stent advancing =(0) Medtronic reports on the status of several studies on its coronary stent: Patient enrollment is complete in the fourth phase of a study, which compares the Medtronic Endeavor stent to the Boston Scientific Taxus Stent. Both are stents that release medication into the patient's bloodstream. A study is also under way to compare the Endeavor to Johnso...
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6/27/2006 9:31:00 AM | Boston Scientific to recall defective heart devices =(0) Boston Scientific has issued another recall for its Guidant division, on a variety of cardiac devices: some Insignia, Nexus and Contak Renewal pacemakers; and Ventak Prizm 2, Vitality, and Vitality 2 implantable defibrillators. A defect was found that could lead to premature battery failure. Five malfunctions, but no deaths, have been re...
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6/27/2006 6:39:00 AM | Coffee May Cut Diabetes Risk =(0) Good news for coffee drinkers: a new study suggests that coffee may lower the risk of developing type II diabetes; at least in post-menopausal women, which was the group studied. Lots is good too, with those drinking over 6 cups a day getting the most protection - even more if the coffee was decaffeinated. Caffeine has other, heart-relate...
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6/27/2006 4:44:00 AM | Doctor: Many women in denial about heart risk =(0) A doctor, interviewed for this article, believes that women do not take their risk of heart disease seriously; however it is the number one killer of women over age 25. He recommends analyzing your risk factors and changing what is possible - such as stopping smoking, losing weight, exercising more, eating properly. Screening blood tests are a...
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6/26/2006 7:06:00 PM | Adult diseases linked to embryo health =(0) A researcher in England claims that his work shows that the seeds of adult disease are often sown in the womb. Common conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease and circulatory problems are among those that he thinks can, with further research, be prevented, identified earlier, or better treated. Separate research in Britain is developin...
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6/26/2006 6:17:00 PM | Homocysteine: A 'bloody' cause of heart attacks =(0) Doctors in India are concerned about a risk factor for heart attacks that seems to be specific to their population. Possibly for genetic reasons, and probably for nutritional ones, many in India have elevated blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid associated with increased risk of heart attack. A diet deficient in folic acid and vitamins ...
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6/26/2006 3:58:00 PM | Merck says Vioxx risk unchanged by data correction =(0) From the "if I say it, that makes it so" file, the drugmaker Merck continues to insist that studies originally reported in the New England Journal of Medicine are still valid despite a correction issued by that publication. The Journal retracted the part of the article that concluded that Vioxx heart risk only begins after 18 months of use, af...
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6/26/2006 8:51:00 AM | PBA To Start Its Own WTC Medical Registry To Track 9/11 Illnesses =(0) The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, a police union in New York, has begun its own online registry in order to keep a record of illnesses that develop in its members who were exposed to Ground Zero after the attacks of 9/11. Diseases such as cancer, kidney failure, and heart attacks may be entered by the membership. Meetings are also being ...
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