Defective Products

Viagra is once again a hot topic, and not because of the remarkable powers of the little blue pill. With hundreds of lawsuits flooding the justice system, a link between the erectile dysfunction medication and aggressive skin cancer is becoming more and more apparent. The lucky victims are filing their own lawsuits against Pfizer; the…

In case you missed it, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has officially recalled 1 million Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after dozens of the devices caught fire while charging. The defective devices caused a reported 92 instances of overheating so far, of which 55 involved property damage and 26 involved burns. Unfortunately, these problems…

Headlines are made when major medical device or drug manufacturers issue massive recalls that affect hundreds of thousands of people. The US Food and Drug Administration handles the announcement of every recall differently, regardless of how many people were affected. However, most medical recalls have a common theme; the burden of informing patients is generally…

The multi-million dollar awards against Johnson & Johnson in regards to talc have caused many of us to take a longer, harder look at the cosmetics industry. In our research, we came across a report by the Cornucopia Institute, a public interest group that started out looking into farm policies. But after 11 years, what…

If you’re anything like the average American, you use somewhere between 5 and 12 personal care products every day. Every product that is part of your morning routine, from shampoo to deodorant to mouthwash, falls under this category, and not a single one of those products has been evaluated for safety by any federal agency.…

Monsanto, the industrial chemical company that manufactured Agent Orange and DDT in the past, is once again making headlines for the creation of controversial and potentially harmful products. This time, three Nebraska farmers and one agronomist, all of who have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, are the suing the company on the grounds that they…

The controversy over the allegation that genital talc use in females increases the risk of ovarian cancer is still raging. Juries have awarded tremendous damages in two cases that Johnson & Johnson has publicly announced they intend to appeal. The situation raises the interesting question of whether the judicial system is capable of determining “true”…

When was the last time a press release from the Consumer Product Safety Commission made the front page? The last time you remember reading Safety Communication directly from the US Food & Drug Administration? While the Internet has provided dozens of platforms for users to share information, the challenge will always be getting the right…

Deane Berg was the first woman to sue Johnson & Johnson when she was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer after years of using their Baby Powder. Her lawsuit garnered attention, though she was awarded no damages. Her case turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg; J&J is now facing more than 1,200…