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• Diabetes Drug Avandia Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Attacks

  Pete Strom | July 27, 2007 4:18 PM | 0 CommentsColumbia, SC

  Avandia, a drug prescribed for diabetes patients to control blood sugar levels, has been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and heart-related deaths, studies show. The Federal Drug Administration released a safety alert in May, warning of the increased heart associated risks linked to Avandia. According to the FDA's release, patients on Avandia who also take insulin, particularly...

• Attorneys Believe Indicted South Carolina Treasurer Will Not Fight Federal Criminal Charges

  Pete Strom | July 25, 2007 4:40 PM | 0 CommentsColumbia, SC

  South Carolina Treasurer Thomas Ravenel resigned Tuesday, weeks after being indicted on federal drug charges. Ravenel, who hails from a prominent South Carolina political family, appeared in United States District Court in Columbia yesterday to face charges of conspiracy to possess and distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine. Authorities have made it clear that Ravenel is not charged with...

• Botulism Forces Plant Closed and Recall of More Than 90 Canned Products

  Pete Strom | July 24, 2007 10:41 AM | 0 CommentsColumbia, SC

  Production at Castleberry's Food Company has stopped due to cans testing positively for botulism. Four reported cases of botulism can be traced back to Castleberry's products. Each of the four people with botulism consumed Hot Dog Chili Sauce Original. This botulism outbreak led Castleberry's to expand its previous recall of canned meat products.It recalled more than 80 types of canned chili,...

• Judge Dismisses Criminal White Collar Fraud Charges Against KPMG Former Partners

  Pete Strom | July 18, 2007 5:28 PM | 0 CommentsColumbia, SC

  U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed the criminal charges on Monday against 13 ex-employees of KMPG, an accounting firm. The former employees were charged and arrested in connection with a tax-shelter case in which they allegedly helped the wealthy escape $2.5 billion in taxes.The dismissed case was once referred to as the largest criminal tax case in U.S. history. Judge Kaplan dropped...

• Columbia Car Accident on I-20 Kills Two

  Pete Strom | July 16, 2007 2:48 PM | 0 CommentsColumbia, SC

  A Texas man and his daughter were killed in a horrible car accident Saturday on I-20. Traffic was backed up for hours as investigators combed the scene.The highway patrol says a car with five people inside drove off the road near mile marker 88 around 2:00pm and hit a tree. Officials say there were two adults and three children from Texas in the car. One of my employees drove by the accident and...

• Varenicline Pill May Reduce Urges to Smoke and Drink

  Jenny Albano | July 10, 2007 10:42 AM | 0 CommentsColumbia, SC

  Varenicline, a drug currently on the market to help smokers quit, may also help curb the urge to drink. According to some new studies, rats that were conditioned to drink in excess cut their drinking in half when they were given the drug.Eighteen rates were periodically given access to alcohol for a period of four months. The researchers would introduce the alcohol and let the rats consume it...

• Peter Pan and Great Value Peanut Butter Have Been Linked to a Nationwide Outbreak of Salmonella

  Pete Strom | March 08, 2007 8:53 AM | 0 CommentsColumbia, SC

  Jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter that have product codes beginning with 2111 have been linked to a nationwide outbreak of salmonella that has sickened 370 people from 42 states. I have been amazed at the number of calls and emails our firm has received this week from people who had eaten Peter Pan or Great Value brand peanut butter and developed Salmonella which causes diarrhea,...

• Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch Recall

  Pete Strom | March 07, 2007 8:28 PM | 0 CommentsColumbia, SC

  The FDA has issued a recall notice regarding the Bard Composix Kugel Mesh Patch. These devices were used to repair ventral hernias caused by thinning or stretching of scar tissue that occurs around incisions after surgery. The working component of the patch is a "memory recoil ring" that causes the patch to spring open after surgeons fold it flat in order to insert it into the body.Sadly, this...

• Peter Pan Peanut Butter Salmonella Recall Update

  Pete Strom | February 19, 2007 12:17 PM | 0 CommentsColumbia, SC

  This Peter Pan peanut butter recall is much more serious than I originally thought. We have received a number of calls today from families from around the country. One person is in the hospital for salmonella poisoning and others are telling me of episodes of nausea, fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. I am advising people to go the doctor if they are still having salmonella symptoms. We are...

• ReNu with MoistureLoc Linked to Fusarium Keratitis

  Pete Strom | February 17, 2007 2:42 PM | 0 CommentsColumbia, SC

  Reports of fungal keratitis infections in users in South Carolina of the solution are surfacing in contact lens wearers who use ReNu with MoistureLoc. Fungal keratitis is a serious eye infection that can develop through the whole depth of the cornea. The infection can require prolonged drug therapy with antifungals such as natamycin, nystatin, and amphotericin B. Other antifungals that may be...