- Joe Saunders | February 27, 2006 7:08 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsThe following recall notice was published in News Inferno:The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Victoria's Secret Direct, of Columbus, Ohio, have announced the voluntary recall of some 500 Silk Kimono Tops manufactured in the United States by Single of Los Angeles, California. Consumers should stop using the product immediately.Of the 500 units manufactured by Single, 57 were sold to...
- Joe Saunders | February 26, 2006 12:04 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA 48 year old Ft. Pierce man died after being tasered by police in a hospital ER. Samuel Hair, who used a pacemaker, was shocked with a Taser on Tuesday night after he became unruly in the emergency room at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute. He stopped moving after being hit twice with the weapon, which the manufacturer advertises as a nonlethal law enforcement tool. Jim...
- Joe Saunders | February 24, 2006 6:25 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsSome good advice printed in the San Jose Mercury News:There is some encouraging news. New SUVs are being built lower to the ground, decreasing their chances of rolling over and improving safety when SUVs collide with cars. It's not the weight of the SUV that poses a risk to people inside cars; it's the height difference.Driving an SUV is much more dangerous than driving a car, and safety...
- Joe Saunders | February 23, 2006 10:51 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA Daytona Beach man caught fire after being tasered by police. He caught fire when a probe from a police Taser gun hit a butane lighter in his pocket and set him on fireA Taser probe hit a disposable butane lighter in his shirt pocket and ignited. Officers then rolled him to the ground to put out the flames
- Joe Saunders | February 23, 2006 10:49 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA man died about 36 hours after being subdued with a stun gun by St. Tammany Parish sheriff's deputies responding to a domestic disturbance at his home, authorities have revealed.The case marks the third time in less than a month that a suspect has died after being shocked with a Taser gun in the New Orleans area.
- Joe Saunders | February 22, 2006 6:32 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsMetro police sergeants are called in whenever a taser is needed. Beginning Friday, paramedics will also help subdue people who could be tasered. This new policy is an effort to prevent deaths from excited delirium. Exited delirium can happen when a person is on drugs and has to be tasered because they are out of control. Now, in those cases, police will restrain the suspect and a paramedic will...
- Joe Saunders | February 21, 2006 6:06 AM |
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MiscellaneousHave you ever noticed how you steaks or hamburger meat start to turn brown or gray soon after you open the wrapping? However, the meat industry has an answer that's causing quite a stir among consumer advocates. They are treating the meat with carbon monoxide which keeps that fresh red color in the meat. Consumer advocates say this is a dangerous practice not because of the levels of carbon...
- Joe Saunders | February 20, 2006 9:49 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeAccording to an article in the NY Times, "A top federal medical official overruled the unanimous opinion of his scientific staff when he decided last year to approve a pacemaker-like device to treat persistent depression, a Senate committee reported Thursday.The device, the surgically implanted vagus nerve stimulator, had not proved effective against depression in its only clinical trial for...
- Joe Saunders | February 20, 2006 9:10 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeMedtronic Inc. continued selling flawed cardiac defibrillators for two years after learning that some of them may suddenly quit working, according to company documents filed in a California lawsuit. After Medtronic last year recalled the devices, 19,000 people had to have surgery for a replacement, said Medtronic spokesman Rob Clark. At least one of them died from post- surgical complications,...
- Joe Saunders | February 20, 2006 9:04 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsThe late winter/early spring in central Florida brings snowbirds and visitors alike to Florida for vacations and spring break. It also brings a rash of early morning car crashes. The combination of early morning fog, slick roads, and drivers new to Florida roads can lead to a spike in auto accidents. The Florida fog can linger into the mid-morning hours reducing visibility and increasing the...
- Joe Saunders | February 19, 2006 10:54 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsIn January, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded the U.S. subsidiary of the German luxury car company a temporary exemption from U.S. automobile safety standards, allowing it to sell as many as 5,000 vehicles over the next two years that include brake lights that flash during emergency stops.The NHTSA had originally refused to make a permanent change to its auto safety rule,...
- Joe Saunders | February 19, 2006 10:46 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers of the potential risk of severe liver injury associated with the use of kava-containing dietary supplements. Kava (Piper methysticum) is a plant indigenous to the islands in the South Pacific where it is commonly used to prepare a traditional beverage. Supplements containing the herbal ingredient kava are promoted for relaxation (e.g.,...
- Joe Saunders | February 19, 2006 10:42 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThe FDA will put a new warning on the Ortho Evra birth control patch in order to warn consumers and healthcare professionals that users may be at a much greater risk of blood clots when using the patch.Dr. Daniel Shames, director of the FDA's division of reproductive and urologic drug products, says updated labeling has been approved for the product to warn healthcare providers and patients that...
- Joe Saunders | February 19, 2006 10:38 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsWith public uproar over taser misuse growing by the day, Taser International, the manufacturer of the controversial stun gun weapon is developing a new product line- a Taser shot gun The nation's largest stun-gun manufacturer has found a new way to deliver electricity to the human body: a 12-gauge shotgun. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Taser International Inc. is developing the eXtended Range...
- Joe Saunders | February 17, 2006 9:20 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeGuidant Corp.'s program to pay $2,500 to patients to replace a heart device that has had malfunctions is nowhere near sufficient to cover costs of the procedure. The offer covers only about 10% of the cost of the replacement procedure. How is this fair? How is this the right thing to do?
- Joe Saunders | February 17, 2006 8:55 AM |
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MiscellaneousThe popular social networking website My Space, has experienced unprecedented growth in recent months. Kids and teens spend hours browsing the website talking to friends and meeting new ones. However, parents must be aware that sexual predators are using the site to make contact with these kids. As is typical with sexual predators, they use websites popular with teens in order to strike up...
- Joe Saunders | February 17, 2006 8:49 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsWomen who use the Ortho Evra birth-control patch face twice the risk of developing blood clots as those who take the Pill, the patch's manufacturer said late Thursday, citing recent company-funded research.The finding comes from one of two studies comparing the patch and Pill, said Ortho Women's Health & Urology, maker of the once-a-week patch, based in Raritan, N.J.
- Joe Saunders | February 16, 2006 9:14 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsThe Florida Legislature is considering raising the minimum driving age from 16 to 17 years old. Citing the high incidence of crashes for 16 year olds, HB 975 would raise the age one year. Florida became one of the first states to begin placing tougher restrictions on novice drivers when legislators in 1996 passed the "Cinderella bill," establishing phased in licenses that put nighttime...
- Joe Saunders | February 16, 2006 9:10 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeNew limits imposed by the FDA on Guidant, maker of an implantable heart defibrillator found to be defective, will make it difficult for new products made by the company to be approved for commercial sale, as the agency applies pressure to the company to improve its manufacturing procedures. In the letter, sent a week ago, the agency said Guidant had not fully responded to its concerns about...
- Joe Saunders | February 16, 2006 9:05 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsAn Edmonton cop, who was once hailed as a hero for saving a man from a burning building, has been charged with assault after a teen was allegedly Tasered while in a police cellblock. The boy alleged he was Tasered once by a police officer while in the cell. Detectives from police internal affairs investigated and passed their findings to Crown prosecutors in Calgary for review. Const. Todd Hudec...
- Joe Saunders | February 15, 2006 8:34 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThe FDA is reporting that certain drugs used to treat tremors associated with Parkinson's disease actually increase the risk of pathological gambling. The latest results are consistent with earlier observations and add to evidence that Parkinson's drugs may lead to impulsive behavior as they make up for depleted dopamine, a brain chemical whose deficiency marks the disease. The researchers...
- Joe Saunders | February 14, 2006 2:58 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsIn a Wall St. Journal article published today, many patients are told to use drugs with black box warning in spite of these drugs being unsuitable for them. A new study of medicines prescribed in the U.S. has found that many patients are told to use drugs with "black box" warnings even though those drugs aren't suitable for their medical needs.In a study to be published in today's Archives of...
- Joe Saunders | February 14, 2006 9:17 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsThe following story ran in The Globe and Mail newspaper:Samantha Foldi faces life as a widow from her wheelchair. For nearly 10 years, since a car accident left her partially paralyzed, she relied on her husband Jim for so much. He quit his construction job to help with her rehab and to care for their four children. He once rescued them from a fire, lowering his wife to safety out a bedroom...
- Joe Saunders | February 13, 2006 11:04 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsIn an article reported this morning in the Arizona Republic, a study measuring electric shocks from a Taser stun gun found that it was 39 times more powerful than the manufacturer claimed, raising new questions about the weapon's safety.The study, published last month in the peer-reviewed Journal of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers, concluded that the shocks are powerful enough to...
- Joe Saunders | February 12, 2006 3:21 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsIt's been a little less than two months since a new, but little publicized seat belt law went into effect in Florida. The new law allows police officers to stop drivers and occupants of vehicles who are not using seat belts. The catch is that they have to be under 18 years old in order to be stopped. This law is aimed at preventing teenagers and children from dying in accidents because...
- Joe Saunders | February 12, 2006 3:15 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsMerck could have immediately warned Vioxx patients that the drug might cause an increased risk of heart attacks rather than waiting two years before issuing a warning, according to a former FDA official. Richard Kapit said there was plenty of time to alert the public before Richard "Dickie" Irvin began taking Vioxx, which his widow claims caused his fatal heart attack after a month on the drug...
- Joe Saunders | February 11, 2006 10:14 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA former Escambia County deputy accused of illegally shocking a Pensacola woman with a Taser stun gun is expected to plead guilty next week, federal court documents show.The deputy shocked the Pensacola woman 4 times with the Taser after responding to a possible child abuse incident.
- Joe Saunders | February 11, 2006 9:56 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThe chairman of an outside committee of medical experts that advises the Food and Drug Administration on drug-safety issues said Friday the agency's own drug-safety oversight board needed to be more open and transparent. The chairman of the committee recommended that the FDA add new members to its oversight board.
- Joe Saunders | February 10, 2006 6:12 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsI've lived in Florida now for more than 25 years. One thing you notice quickly here besides the weather is the number of elderly drivers. According to 2002-03 statistics, there were almost 15 million drivers in the state of Florida. Out of that 15 million, over 2.2 million were between the ages of 65 and 74. Approximately 250,000 drivers were over the age of 85. At least 20% of this 250,000...
- Joe Saunders | February 10, 2006 6:06 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsIn a surprise move, a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted to recommend that stimulant drugs widely prescribed for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder carry strong "black box" warnings about potential cardiovascular risks.The warning proposed by a member of the committee would say that the drugs have been associated with increases in blood pressure and heart rate, which...
- Joe Saunders | February 10, 2006 5:57 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsBy the time Ocoee Florida police Sgt. William Wagner had looked in his rearview mirror after calling off a high speed pursuit, all he could see was a fiery explosion.16 year old Darrell O. Culver of Apopka died as a result of his injuries. At the time of the crash he had a Class E learner's permit. The incident began about 3 a.m. when Wagner clocked the blue sedan heading northbound at 57 mph...
- Joe Saunders | February 10, 2006 5:52 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeGuidant's chief executive will receive a $1.5 million bonus after the acquisition by Boston Scientific is complete, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Since June, Guidant has recalled or issued safety advisories on about 88,000 defibrillators and more than 200,000 pacemakers. At least seven deaths have been linked to the faulty devices. I guess that...
- Joe Saunders | February 10, 2006 5:49 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA British university is warning of the dangers of electric stun guns that will be trialled in New Zealand later this year. Police officers will be armed with taser guns, which cause temporary paralysis and are designed to be used as a non-lethal way of dealing with violent offenders. Project coordinator of the Non Lethal Weapons Research Project at Bradford University, Neil Davison, says...
- Joe Saunders | February 09, 2006 12:25 PM |
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MiscellaneousThe FDA has issued a warning to doctors and patients about the adverse risks associated with the Bayer drug Trasylol. The drug is used to control bleeding in such surgical procedures as heart bypass surgery. The FDA highlighted two studies published last month, including one in the New England Journal of Medicine, which showed that the drug, sold under the brand name Trasylol, doubled the risk...
- Joe Saunders | February 09, 2006 6:32 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsPolice agencies in Georgia that use Taser stun guns would have to make sure their officers know how to use them properly under a bill passed overwhelmingly by the House on Wednesday. The legislation, which cleared the lower chamber 162-1 and now goes to the Senate, would require police departments to draft written policies for using Tasers that meet standards set by the Georgia Peace Officer and...
- Joe Saunders | February 08, 2006 5:55 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsSponsored by Partners for Child Passenger Safety, a new study led by Dr. Dennis Durbin determined that SUVs are no more safe than cars in the protection they afford children, due to their increased rollover rate.A study finds that children riding in sport utility vehicles are no safer than those in passenger cars, due to the doubled risk of rollovers in SUVs canceling out the safety advantages...
- Joe Saunders | February 08, 2006 5:46 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsAmnesty International is reporting that 103 deaths are related to the Taser stun gun. Additionally, the human rights group says there is widespread abuse of the weapon that in some cases "constitutes ill-treatment and torture."Amnesty International reports 103 people have been killed in North America by the stun gun that New Zealand police are to trial later this year and says there is...
- Joe Saunders | February 07, 2006 9:03 PM |
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MiscellaneousWhen the torrential rain came pouring down in Tampa Bay last Friday, few thought that a Bed, Bath, and Beyond roof would collapse. According to an article in the St. Pete Times, a contractor got a permit to put a new roof on the building last April 4th but the construction was never inspected by the city.The cause of the collapse is still being investigated, so it is unknown whether the city's...
- Joe Saunders | February 06, 2006 9:16 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous Products"Police should not use Taser stun guns to subdue children," a Miami-Dade grand jury has stated. However, they didn't propose an outright ban on the weapon. Taser stun guns emit 500 volts of electricity which incapacitates the victim. There are increasing reports of deaths as well as abuse of taser stun guns. In one recent incident a Nashville man was tasered 19 times before dying.
- Joe Saunders | February 06, 2006 1:16 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsYou've just been in a car crash. You're climbing out of your car and no one appears seriously injured in either vehicle. What should you do now? Call for emergency help. If possible, take notes of the exact location and position of the vehicles involved in the crash. Exchange insurance contact information with the other driver. Give the investigating officer(s) as much detail as possible...
- Joe Saunders | February 05, 2006 10:05 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeNow that Boston Scientific, the maker of medical devices, has been publicly chastised by the FDA, its executives have taken a penitential tone. "It's clear we have not done enough to resolve the issues raised by the F.D.A., "a spokesman, Paul Donovan, said in a statement yesterday, "and we recognize fully that the responsibility to do so lies with us."Already, the F.D.A. has told Boston...
- Joe Saunders | February 05, 2006 6:11 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsLast year, a Nashville man was tasered by police a total of 19 times! Not surprisingly, he later died. In spite of this, more police officers will receive taser weapons after a scant 4 hours of training. It seems to me that if police officers are going to be equipped with these stun guns, more research on safety needs to be done. In addition, 4 hours of training hardly seems sufficient when...
- Joe Saunders | February 05, 2006 1:28 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsPropofol , distributed by Astra Zenica, is used for general anesthesia during surgery, sedation, and reduction of intracranial pressure in head injury patients. Propofol administration has been associated with the development of propofol-infusion syndrome in pediatric and adult patients. The syndrome consists of myocardial failure, metabolic acidosis, rhabdomyolysis, and hyperkalemia developing...
- Joe Saunders | February 04, 2006 11:58 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsFor the first time in Santa Clara County, California, a coroner has determined that a Taser gun factored in a man's death. Dr. Christopher Happy concluded that "a contributory cause of death was post tasering and pepper-spraying."According to Richard Konda of the Coalition for Justice and Accountability, a local police watchdog group, "There are just a lot of open questions about Tasers, and we...
- Joe Saunders | February 04, 2006 10:36 AM |
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MiscellaneousWhile the rest of the country is seeing fatalities on the water decrease, Florida is experiencing a sharp increase in such deaths. In 2005 alone, the state has recorded 71 boating deaths. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife officials, the number one cause of the increase is carelessness on the water. Boating is a recreation that many of us in Florida enjoy. However, we need to be just as...
- Joe Saunders | February 04, 2006 10:28 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsIn their newsletter, AAA has some very good tips all Florida car owners should have at their fingertips. Most people do not understand what coverages they purchased and what they need for their current risks (i.e., value of car they are in, value of car you may hit, what someone else's coverage pays for versus your own, etc.). It is important to make sure you know what you are paying for so you...
- Joe Saunders | February 04, 2006 10:13 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsThe truck driver had little sleep in the 34 hours prior to the fiery crash that killed 7 children in Lake Butler Florida on January 25. According to National Transportation Safety Board investigator, David Rayburn, "Except for a short nap, he was awake for 34 hours. . ."The driver of the truck, 31 year old Alvin Wilkerson of Jacksonville Florida had been cited twice in the past--in 2000 and...
- Joe Saunders | February 03, 2006 11:39 AM |
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MiscellaneousAfter Tampa's Gasparilla's Pirate Festival Floatilla in Hillsborough Bay last week, you would think that Florida (and maybe even Tampa) might be a strong contender for Boat Accident Death capitol of the United States. But thanks to an enlightening post by fellow Maritime Lawyer and Blogger Rodd Sullivan in Jacksonville, we learn that a state far from here and with a very different climate beats...
- Joe Saunders | February 03, 2006 7:21 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsIn a story that ran today in the St. Petersburg Times, a 75 year old man who is blind in one eye was tasered three times by Pinellas County deputies in December 2005. The deputies had been summoned to the Madeira Beach condo after friends of the man had called deputies saying they were concerned about him. He was suffering from loneliness after the holidays and had threatened to shoot himself...
- Joe Saunders | February 02, 2006 8:53 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsStatistics tell us that 770 Americans out of 100,000 will be injured in a rear impact auto crash this year. While insurance companies equate minor vehicle damage with minor bodily injury, medical evidence doesn't bear this out. It is very often the case, that those involved in rear end or so-called low impact auto crashes sustain permanent and disabling injuries to their spine, neck and head. ...
- Joe Saunders | February 02, 2006 8:25 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsWhen the FDA approved new rules making pharmaceutical companies provide clearer labeling and detailed warnings about their drug products, they also slipped in a second rule change that is both ridiculous in its scope and profoundly anti-consumer. This new rule change argues that because the FDA approves drugs before they can be marketed to the general public, only federal courts should hear...