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Ortho-McNeil Neurologics announces voluntary recall of TOPAMAX 100mg Tablets

Ortho-McNeil Neurologics Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced it is voluntarily recalling two lots of TOPAMAX® (topiramate) 100mg Tablets. These two lots were shipped between 10/19/2010 and 12/28/2010 and distributed in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

15 Apr 2011

VIGILAIR air cleaning technology greatly reduces HAI in NICU: Study

VIGILAIR Systems, an industry leader in Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation technology was instrumental in a newly published, and first of its kind hospital study that demonstrated a dramatic reduction in patient Hospital Acquired Infections with the application of VIGILAIR® air cleaning technology in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

11 Apr 2011

Toxic substances including arsenic in baby food

The latest reports have revealed that there are small amounts of arsenic and other toxins that are found in soil, creeping into the ingredients used in top-selling baby foods. Manufacturers insist the levels are so low they do not pose a health risk. But scientists and food campaigners are calling for efforts to eliminate the chemicals from mass-produced products eaten by millions of young babies. Leading brands from Organix, Hipp, Nestle and Holle were tested by Swedish researchers.

10 Apr 2011

Study finds high PCB levels in western coast of Africa

"We were not expecting to find such high levels of PCBs, highly toxic compounds that are considered as priority compounds by European legislation, in a region such as the western coast of Africa", Ailette Prieto, a researcher at the University of the Basque Country and co-author of a study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, tells SINC.

7 Apr 2011

U.S. Marshals, FDA seize $6 million worth Triad antiseptic products

U.S. Marshals, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, today seized more than $6 million in products distributed by Triad Group Inc., at the company's facility in Hartland, Wis.

7 Apr 2011

Superbugs and antibiotic resistance

Health experts come together today (Thursday) to warn that a new form of superbug that gives bacteria the power to resist virtually all known antibiotics is spreading quickly, posing a global health disaster. It is called New Delhi metallobeta-lactamase, or NDM-1 for short. This enzyme destroys carbapenems, an important group of antibiotics used for difficult infections in hospitals, and has been found in a wide variety of bacterial types. British researchers last August reported that infections involving NDM-1 had been found in patients in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Britain.

6 Apr 2011

Novartis' TOBI Podhaler receives Health Canada NOC for Pa treatment in CF patients

Novartis Canada announced today that it has received Health Canada Notice of Compliance for TOBI Podhaler, a fast and convenient inhaled therapy for cystic fibrosis patients aged six and over.

6 Apr 2011

Catheter Connections presents DualCap device clinical data against CRBSI at SHEA meeting

In the ongoing fight against costly and potentially fatal catheter related bloodstream infections, landmark clinical data presented at the 21st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America demonstrates that both the exposed end of IV administration sets and catheter luer access valves are colonized by the microbes that cause CRBSI.

4 Apr 2011

Study: Electronic faucets more likely to become contaminated with bacteria

Researchers at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have determined that electronic faucets are more likely to become contaminated with unacceptably high levels of bacteria, including Legionella spp., compared with traditional manually operated faucets.

1 Apr 2011

Wolters Kluwer Health offers free online resources to Japan for earthquake relief

In support of disaster relief efforts in Japan following the recent earthquake and tsunami, Ovid and Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, part of Wolters Kluwer Health, are providing free online access to emergency, disaster, trauma, and radiation contamination resources to Japanese hospitals and healthcare institutions affected by the disasters via the Wolters Kluwer Health Emergency Resources Portal.

25 Mar 2011

Queen’s University completes first ever analysis of all food recalls over last decade

As the increasing number food scares causes consumers to question the safety of everyday food items, researchers at Queen's University Belfast have completed the first ever analysis of all the food recalls announced in the USA, UK and Ireland over the last decade.

22 Mar 2011

Richmont obtains PURE's IV-7 Germ Defense disinfectant registration in South Africa

PURE Bioscience, creator of the patented silver dihydrogen citrate antimicrobial, today announced that its marketing partner, Richmont Sciences, LLC, through its distributor, Bio Care Products Ltd. of Lanseria, has obtained registration of PURE's SDC-based IV-7 Ultimate Germ Defense disinfectant for use on all inanimate surfaces by the South African National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications.

18 Mar 2011

Radiations from Japanese nuclear plants do not pose immediate risk to the U.S.

Airborne radiation from a meltdown at Japanese nuclear plants poses no immediate risk to the continental United States, say University of Maryland public health and atmospheric scientists.

17 Mar 2011

New book on toxins

Toxins are a burning issue. A straightforward guide to a closer understanding of toxins in our daily lives is published by Wiley. The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain-Language Guide to Toxicology, 3rd Edition cuts through the fear generated by the media, which leads to a distortion in many people's conceptions of toxins and chemicals.

14 Mar 2011

Excelsior medical's SwabFlush receives FDA 510(k) clearance

Excelsior Medical Corporation announced today that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for SwabFlush™, its latest product for the vascular access and infection control markets.

8 Mar 2011

Hazardous high concentrations of cadmium found in inexpensive children's jewelry

Young children who mouth or swallow jewelry containing cadmium may be exposed to as much as 100 times the recommended maximum exposure limit for the toxic metal, according to research published online March 4 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). The study measured bioavailability, or how much cadmium leached out of the jewelry. The research also found that damaged pieces of jewelry in some cases leached up to 30 times more cadmium than undamaged pieces.

4 Mar 2011

Scientists use pioneering technology to create safer drinking water in the U.S.

Pioneering technology by scientists at Queen's University Belfast, which is transforming the lives of millions of people in Asia, is now being used to create safer drinking water in the United States.

2 Mar 2011

Existing plans for drug use during flu pandemic can reduce wastewater treatment efficiency

Existing plans for antiviral and antibiotic use during a severe influenza pandemic could reduce wastewater treatment efficiency prior to discharge into receiving rivers, resulting in water quality deterioration at drinking water abstraction points.

2 Mar 2011

Scientists discover lead contamination in ceramic cookware sold in Philadelphia's Chinatown

Recently, a research team from the Department of Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University discovered an alarming amount of lead contamination in ceramic cooking and eating utensils sold in Philadelphia's Chinatown.

1 Mar 2011

Next-generation sequencing provides important clues to traceback foodborne illness outbreak

FDA scientists successfully used a new genome sequencing test to retrospectively examine a 2009-10 foodborne illness outbreak to help trace the source of the infection.

25 Feb 2011