Zimmer NexGen knee replacement lawsuits

Zimmer sues over ads stating that NexGen knees cause injuries and are defective

Darvocet pulled for link to heart damage by the FDA

Darvocet heart risks link by FDA pulled from market, heart failure

Drugs for Osteoporosis Prescribed Unecessarily?

Merck, maker of osteoporosis drug Fosamax, marketed the drug to women who had a lesser condition called osteopenia on basis of the Bone Density Scan test that it created.

Defective Children’s Products & Toys are Constantly Recalled

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which regulates consumer products, constantly sends out press releases regarding toys and children’s products that have been recalled due to some type of defect.  In recent years, many of these recalls involved toys with lead based paint.

Toys and other products, such as cribs, playpens, outdoor play equipment and even clothing, have been known to cause serious injuries and death.  When defective products are placed on the market, children are often the ones who suffer.

The CPSC reported that in 2007, there were about 170,100 toy-related injuries involving children under the age of 15.  According to the report, there were 18 deaths that same year.  From 2003 to 2007, there was a significant rise in toy-related injuries.

Parents are rightfully concerned about the safety of their children.  Manufacturers often become too focused on the bottom line and cut corners to get products on the market faster.  Plus, many companies have looked to China as a way to cut costs, but countless products coming from this country have been tainted with lead.

Manufacturers can be held liable for defective toys that result in injuries.  If your child has been injured by a defective product, you should contact a Kentucky defective product lawyer at the Law Office of Schachter, Hendy & Johnson at (859) 578-4444 or (888) 606-5297 for advice.

Food manufacturers make consumers responsible

    Attorney Ronald E. Johnson of Schachter & Hendy concentrates on legal issues regarding defective products.  A recent article in the The New York Times says that food companies are expecting consumers to be responsible for making sure the food they sell  is not filled with dangerous pathogens. 

    According to the article, ConAgra Foods which sells Banquet frozen pot pies detected some salmonella but was not able to pinpoint where it came from in the 25 ingredients included in the pies.  They decided to make the consumer responsible for what they call the “kill step,” the point at which the pathogens are eliminated.  ConAngra Foods, which sold 100 million pot pies last year, included food safety instructions that cautioned that internal temperature when cooking the pot pies  needed to reach 165 Degrees F.  ConAgra also added food safety instructions to its other frozen meals, including the Healthy Choice brand.

     The problem is serious with frozen foods.  Federal regulators such as the Federal Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention have pushed companies to include cooking instructions with detailed food safety guides, but some companies don't include these instructions, some are using outdated safety guidelines, and some have only abbreviated guidelines on the side of the boxes in tiny print that consumers probably don't read.

    According to the article, there are estimated to be 76 million cases of food-borne illnesses every year that go unreported or are not traced to the source.  Food safety experts think it is the responsibility of the food manufacturer to ensure their food's safety, not the consumer.

Defibrillator recalled by ZOLL Medical Corporation

    Attorney Ronald E. Johnson of Schachter & Hendy concentrates on legal issues regarding defective medical devices.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that the ZOLL AED Plus Defibrillator was recently recalled because it was defective.  The medical device was manufactured by ZOLL Medical Corporation from May 2004 through February 2009 and distributed from May 2004 through February 9, 2009.  It is possible that between 80,000 to 180,000 units are affected.

    The ZOLL AED Plus Defibrillator is used by emergency or medical personnel to treat patients who are undergoing cardiac arrest.  It analyzes an unconscious person's heart rhythm and delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restore a normal heart rhythm.  The defective device has a problem with the battery and is considered a Class 1 recall -- the most serious type of recall and involves situations in which there is a reasonable probability that use of these products will cause serious injury or death.  By contacting the ZOLL company, consumers can download the correct software for the battery.  For more information, contact http://www.ZOLLAEDPlusbatteryhelp.com.