The New York Times (1/30, Tabuchi, Subscription Publication, 9.97M) reported, after several high-profile deaths of used cars involving airbag recalls, Federal laws “do not require used-car dealers to repair vehicles with safety defects before putting the cars back into public use. Nor are dealers required by law to disclose to customers that a vehicle is the subject of a recall.” Legislation to change this loophole has stalled in Congress leaving consumers on their own to check if a used vehicle has been recalled for a safety defect by either running a car’s VIN number through the Federal safety database, checking an automobile manufacturer’s website, or by purchasing a vehicle history report from a vendor such as Carfax. NHTSA will continue to push for Congress to “prohibit used-car dealerships from selling vehicles with an open recall and the rental of vehicles with an open recall.”
People Who Buy Used Cars Are Responsible For Asking About Hidden Safety Recalls
FDA Warns Apotex Regarding Indian Drug Manufacturing Facility
OSHA To Fine Ashley Furniture $1.7 Million For Safety Violations
According to The New York Times (2/3, Abrams, Subscription Publication, 9.97M) Ashley Furniture, a major global furniture maker, is facing $1.7 million in OSHA penalties “to settle charges that unsafe conditions at its manufacturing plant in Arcadia, Wis., led to more than 1,000 injuries.” OSHA “cited the company for dozens of violations, including disregard for safety standards that led to a number of gruesome injuries.”
The Deadline For Filing Claims Regarding GM Faulty Ignition Switches Passed On March 31, 2015
The AP (2/3, Krisher) is reporting that “the families of 51 people who died in crashes caused by faulty” GM ignition switches will receive money from the GM compensation fund, with another 77 to receive money for injuries, according to compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg. The deadline for filing claims was Saturday, March 31, 2015. As of Sunday there were “455 death claims and 3,447 for injuries.” Many are calling for GM to extend the deadline, “because victims do not know yet whether they can sue General Motors Co., the new company that emerged from bankruptcy protection in July 2009.”
According to The CBS Evening News (2/2, story 5, 2:30, Glor, 5.08M) Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are asking GM to reconsider the deadline, “as over a third of the vehicles are still not fixed.”
USA Today (2/2, Healey, 10.32M) reported that GM’s count of victims “only included people in the front seats who would have been protected, presumably,” if not for the defective switches, and only those driving or riding in models that were specifically recalled.
The FDA’s Adverse Reporting System Includes Numerous Incomplete Reports
The New York Times (2/3, B3, Thomas, Subscription Publication, 9.97M) is reporting that “the main system for keeping track of the dangerous side effects of prescription drugs is deeply flawed, primarily because drug makers are submitting incomplete information about the problems to the” FDA, “according to a new study by” the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices (ISMP), “a nonprofit group that tracks drug safety issues.” An FDA spokesman “acknowledged that adverse-event reports were often incomplete, and said improving the system was ‘of great interest’ to the agency.” But, “doing so ‘is challenging because of the voluntary nature of the reporting.’”
Similarly, The Wall Street Journal (2/2, Silverman, 5.67M) “Pharmalot” blog reports that although the ISMP says reports can only be considered reasonably complete when they include patient age, gender and event date, only 49% of reports contained that information. Additionally, the analysis found that 67% of death reports were of limited value due to incomplete information about the cause of death and the possible role of a medicine. Thomas Moore, an ISMP senior scientist, attributes the lack of completeness in reporting in part to the fact that the FDA’s adverse-alert system has not been updated since 2001 despite the fact that the pharmaceutical market has evolved immensely, yielding new interactions between drugmakers, patient, and consumers.