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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested Endo Pharmaceuticals pull Opana ER from the market. Opana ER is an extended-release opioid, or narcotic. The drug is heavily abused by patients and can lead to addictions, which can then lead to overdoses and death.

The FDA released a new communication today warnings of serious risks of Invokana – a prescription medicine for Type II Diabietes. The FDA warned that Invokana poses an increased risk of foot and leg amputations, based on studies showing the risk of amputation of limbs doubling with Invokano use versus a placebo. The FDA now requires its strongest form of warning – a Boxed Warning – be placed on all new Invokana (Canagliflozin) labels.

Another large verdict came down against Johnson & Johnson for hiding the ovarian cancer risks of baby powder and talcum powder products. A Jury in Missouri found Johnson & Johnson liable for $110 million for causing the cancer of a 61 year old woman.

After a series of accidents and injuries aboard Navy vessels, the Navy has announced it will stop allowing sailors to bring and use electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), personal vaporizers, and vape pens aboard it’s ships. The ban includes all submarines, aircraft, and boats.

Florida defense attorney Stephen Gutierrez was defending his client who was alleged to have started a car fire. During closing arguments while Stephen was stating his client’s defense that the car had spontaneously combusted, Stephen’s pants began to combust on their own. His pants began to smoke and catch fire in the courtroom.

LA Times, 1995: “Particles of talc used as a lubricant on latex condoms can enter a woman’s body … causing infertility and cancer”.

A Texas jury returned a verdict of $1.04 billion against Johnson & Johnson DePuy Orthopaedics. This bellwether trial was the second bellwether verdict against Johnson and Johnson, which was previously found liable for $498 million for 5 separate DePuy Pinnacle plaintiffs.

Johnson and Johnson (J&J) lost another verdict regarding its failure to warn about the potential risk of ovarian cancer from talcum powder products. A St. Louis Missouri jury awarded Deborah Giannecchini $2.5 million from J&J in pain and suffering, another $2.5 million from co-defendant Imerys Talc America, and ordered Johnson and Johnson to pay an additional $65 million in punitive damages.

The Kings Plaza Mall in Brooklyn, NY is not allowed to sell devices to those under the age of 21, according to local New York city laws. Despite this, the 14 year old was handed an e-cigarette that the contained a dangerous battery. E-cig batteries like all batteries have physical limits regarding charging or discharging limits, and many e-cigarette’s have universal ports to plug with a variety of chargers. Many e-cig devices contain no safety features to detect if a battery has been charged in an unsafe manner, either internally or externally.

Jurors found Johnson & Johnson liable for its baby powder product causing ovarian cancer and reached a $55 million verdict against J&J. The lawsuit was brought by Gloria Restesund of Missouri, a woman who had used J&J’s talcum products powder products (Baby Powder, Shower to Shower) for 40 years and who later developed ovarian cancer as a result.