Safety News Article Excerpts

News Herald, "Kia Defendant in Law Suit Over Defect in Fuel Line"

          A Lorain woman filed suit against car-manufacturer Kia after her husband died in 2000 in a fiery crash on Ohio 2 at the Ohio 579 curve. More...

Kansas City Star, "Diet-drug dispute ensnares KC doctor; Specialist checked fen-phen claims"

          A prominent Kansas City cardiologist is at the center of a dispute involving the $3.75 billion fen-phen diet-drug settlement negotiated in 1999. More...

American Health Line, "Fen-Phen: Lawyers Ask Judge to Delay Settlement Processing"

          A group of lawyers has asked a district court judge to suspend processing all claims filed by people who say they experienced serious heart problems as a result of taking the diet drugs Pondimin and Redux until resolution of the question of whether a few law firms have filed questionable claims. More...

Reuters Business Report, "Wyeth Lowers Profit View"

          Drugmaker Wyeth on Friday warned earnings for the year will fall short of expectations, as sales of its flagship hormone replacement products slowed after studies in July questioned the safety of the drugs. The news sent the stock price of Wyeth down more than 19 percent on the New York Stock Exchange. More...

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Jury Rejects Patient's Claim in Fen-Phen Suit"

          A Milwaukee County jury absolved a Lake Geneva doctor who was sued for prescribing the diet drug mixture fen-phen to a woman who later required surgery to replace two heart valves. More...

The New York Times, "A Diet Rich in Partial Truths" An Excerpt of Commentary by Dr. Dean Ornish

          In Woody Allen's movie "Sleeper," a man wakes up 200 years in the future to find that science has proved deep-fried foods to be healthy. Is the future here already? By now, many Americans are thoroughly exasperated by the seemingly contradictory information in the press about what a sound diet is. More...

Sacramento Bee, "Treating Obesity: Experts Foresee Soaring Sales of Weight-Loss Drugs to Aid Children"

          With more American kids battling the bulge than ever before, weight-loss drugs may be the next hot prescription for children. Across the country, Xenical and Meridia, two weight-loss medications labeled for use only for those 16 and older, are being tested for safety and effectiveness in adolescents ages 12 to 16. More...

The Associated Press, "Ephedra Offered Players a Way to Lose Weight, Gain Energy"

          Ephedra has been called "legal speed." That's how one company advertised its ephedra products on its Web site before the Food and Drug Administration earlier this month ordered it to stop. The company offered "energizing herbs" that "feel like an acid trip" - claims that FDA rules prohibit. More...

USA Today, "Meridia: A Body of Work"

          As Americans continue to pack on the pounds, drug companies and obesity researchers are racing to develop the next prescription diet drug. An estimated 50 to 100 obesity medications are in the early stages of development, pharmaceutical insiders say. More...

University Wire (Kansas State Collegian), "Ingredients in Weight-Loss Pills Have Dangerous Effects"

          With spring break approaching, many college students are scrambling to shed those holiday pounds. Some make a mad dash to the gym, while others might choose to lose weight in a more passive way: diet pills. More...

The Associated Press, "$3.75B Fen-Phen Settlement Now Final, But Claims Can Still Be Made"

          A $3.75 billion settlement for thousands of people who took the recalled fen-phen diet drug combination is now final because no one challenged it by last week's deadline, drug maker American Home Products said. More...

The Baltimore Sun, "Woman Says Fen-Phen Damaged Her Heart"

          When Valerie Wright learned about a weight loss drug from a friend in her car pool, she decided to try it. Wright, a mother of three from Charles County, Maryland, lost 20 pounds when she took fen-phen for six months before it was taken off the market in 1997. But she also lost her energy and developed a heart condition that will one day force her to have heart surgery, she says. More...