Elder Rights - The Next Civil Rights Movement

On October 22, Temple Law (in Philadelphia) is hosting an all-day conference titled "Elder Rights - The Next Civil Rights Movement."  The speakers include elder law heavyweights Frolik and Dayton, with a keynote by Nina Kohn.  Other speakers include my Widener colleague Alicia Kelly.  

Of particular interest is a session titled "Healthcare, Self-Determination and Autonomy."  Speakers in that session include two scholars whom I have been fortunate to work with:  (1) Michele Mathes, "Health Care and the Aged: Arguing Equality in the Absence of a Right" and (2) Lois Shepherd, "The End of End of Life Law and Ethics."              

        

FDA - H and P Recalls Povidone Iodine Prep Solutions Includes Products Under the Names of Triad, Cardinal Health, VHA, Atwater Cary and Others

The stuff is still out there and you can reference my post from July to where the Milwaukee Journal asked me about the bar codes for FDA recalls, too bad nobody does anything as recalls continue to grow. 

Recalled Wipes From Triad Still Out There in Consumer Medicine Cabinets and Possibly At Some Retail Locations-Manufacturers and FDA Need To Do A Better Job-Bar Codes

I don’t know which story is worse, all the J and J recalls or this one, both are bad by all means.  I just kind of wonder if J and J got spooked with their Baby Wipe products and tried to give this a whirl, just in case they had to recall anything as they are right in here too.  Right now the bar codes contain product information but they could be reprogrammed to give real time recall information if that were to occur.  Yes I have beat J and J over the head too with this idea in more ways than one. 

Recalls: FDA Gets the Big Luddite Award with Drug and Device Companies That Do Little or Nothing to Help Consumers-Triad Products Could Have Been Bar Coded To Scan

We all know the factory was closed by the FDA, but again the products are still floating around out there and this recall affects both consumers and medical personnel as the products are used in hospitals.  See my links at the top of the blog that has been an ongoing campaign for putting bar codes on products for recalls now for 2 years!  Will someone finally listen?  BD 

Healthcare Bar Code Posts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 24, 2011 - H&P industries, Inc., a manufacturer of over-the-counter drug products has initiated a voluntary recall of ALL LOTS (Lots beginning with 8J-8M, 9A-9M, 0A-0M, 1A-1C)of Povidone Iodine Swabsticks, Povidone Iodine Prep Solutions, Povidone Iodine Scrub Solutions, and Povidone Iodine Prep Gel manufactured by H&P Industries, Inc. This recall has been initiated at the request of FDA.

H & P Industries, Inc. manufactured these Povidone Iodine products without having in place a system for microbial testing at the time of release, without having a system for testing of incoming components, and without having procedures designed and established to prevent objectionable microorganisms in these drug products. Although H&P Industries, Inc.’s investigation and extensive testing did not find contamination, and the products met H&P Industries, Inc., finished goods specifications, H&P Industries, Inc. is voluntarily recalling all Povidone Iodine Products due to and in accordance with the Consent Decree of Condemnation, Forfeiture, and Permanent Injunction entered in the Eastern District of Wisconsin (Civil No. 2:11-cv-00319-AEG) on June 13, 2011.

Povidone Iodine Swabsticks, Povidone Iodine Prep Solutions, Povidone Iodine Scrub Solutions, and Povidone Iodine Prep Gel are labeled as an antiseptic for preparation of the skin prior to surgery, and are used to prevent infection in minor cuts, scrapes and burns. The Povidone Iodine Scrub solutions are labeled also for use as a surgical hand scrub for health care professionals. Patients undergoing medical and surgical procedures, including those who are immunocompromised, have a high risk of infection from antiseptic surgical preparations that have been prepared, packaged, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health. H&P Industries, Inc. has not ever received reports of adverse events or contamination attributed to these Povidone Iodine products.

The Povidone Iodine products were distributed nationwide to healthcare customers. The swabsticks are packaged in individual packets of 1 or 3 swabs and the Prep Solution, Scrub Solution and Prep Gel are sold in bottles.

These products were distributed in the United States. Specific customers distributing the product and selling it at the wholesale and hospital level are being notified by e-mail with instructions on how to return the product. Consumers that have any of these types of products in their possession should not use the product and should return it to the place it was purchased. Consumers with questions can call H&P Industries, Inc. at 262-538-2907 Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. Central Time.

CUSTOMERS WHO DIRECTLY PURCHASED PRODUCT FROM H&P SHOULD NOT RETURN THE PRODUCT ON YOUR OWN. Email H&P Industries, Inc. at recall.coordinator@handpindustries.com to make all return arrangements. Returns will be processed once recall acknowledgements and/or a notice of destruction have been received.

Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of these products may be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

Technorati Tags: FDA,recalls,Triad Group,Bar Codes,Microsoft Tags,Cell phones,scanning,tech denial,luddites,non participants,Walgreens,CVS,Johnson and Johnson,H and P

Oral Cancer Prevention International Suing Johnson and Johnson–Oral Cancer Detection Test Product Reducing Sales of Listerine Mouthwash?

OraPharma, a former subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson signed a contract with the OCPI and then the product was immediately sidelined.  Johnson and Johnson sold OraPharma, who had the contract agreement with OCPI to a private equity firm.  This appears to revolve around the complaint that mouthwash sales of Listerine would go down as it has been in the news that the alcohol content in mouthwashes could cause oral cancer.  One thing we know though is that Listerine doesn’t remove plaque as that was challenged last year so they can’t advertise that one anymore.  BD 

Johnson and Johnson’s Next Nightmare With the FDA–Listerine Mouthwash But In Good Company with Walgreens and CVS This Time–Advertising Issues with Plaque Removal Not Founded

A company that makes an oral cancer detection kit has launched a $60m lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, claiming that the multinational prevented its product from being sold to protect its own Listerine mouthwash, which, along with other mouth rinses, has been linked to mouth cancer.

In a complaint filed in a New Jersey court, Oral Cancer Prevention International says the multinational's executives were "leery of highlighting" the risk of oral cancer if Listerine were to be sold alongside the detection kit, as the OCPI and a division of Johnson & Johnson had previously agreed.

In February last year OCPI signed a contract with OraPharma, then part of Johnson & Johnson, the healthcare product manufacturer, to sell the company's Oral CDx Brush Test. However, almost immediately it allegedly found its product sidelined by the sales team. Johnson & Johnson sold OraPharma to a private equity firm this year.

The OCPI product was a "Brush Test" that dentists could use to determine if a common oral spot contained abnormal cells that could develop into oral cancer.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/27/johnson-johnson-sued-mouthwash-cancer-fears?

Technorati Tags: Johnson and Johson,Listerine,mouthwash,FDA,CVS,Walgreens,heatlhcare,advertising,lawsuit,Oral Cancer Prevention International

Eyeborg–A Prosthetic Eye That Records and Streams Video (Video)

This is a video worth watching as this is amazing how he built this replacement eyeball.  What’s even stranger though is to hear him talk about the technology with prosthetics and he believes that when it gets real good that people will consider losing an arm voluntarily to have a prosthetic arm that can out perform a human arm?  I don’t know about that part of it and when you watch the video, he didn’t decide to take his own eye out either as he lost it in a gun shot wound.  At any rate from the somewhat Sci-Fi healthcare files here.  He can video tape himself with his own eye.  BD 

http://online.wsj.com/video/eyeborg-the-future-of-prosthetics/CAE580FF-AAFD-4CCF-8F54-053664DBD91C.html

Technorati Tags: Eye,prosthetics,camera,wireless,eyeball,healthcare,medical devices,vision

Governor Vetoes New Jersey POLST Bill

On Thursday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie conditionally vetoed S-2197, legislation providing for the use of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (“POLST”) forms in New Jersey.

While noting the prospective benefits in guiding end of life patient care for New Jerseyans by utilizing POLST forms, Governor Christie cited concerns with the provisions of the bill that would effectively allow a patient’s wishes to be overridden by the patient’s physician or healthcare representative without the patient’s prior consent, and that would mandate an alternative dispute resolution as a prerequisite to a patient’s or his or her representative’s right to go to court to protect a patient’s wishes. Governor Christie’s recommended changes to further protect a patient’s health care wishes.

VRFF-VSED - Major Topic of Conference

Over the past decade, VSED-VRFF has not received very much attention either in the medical literature or at bioethics conferences.  But that is now changing.  Compassion & Choices has begun an educational initiative.  And a major conference this October, in Victoria, Australia, devotes two hours to the topic.





Voluntary Refusal of Food and Fluids (VRFF) by Currently Competent Persons

08:30 The reality: representative cases — Nan Maitland (7 min)

08:37 The legality of medical and nursing assistance — Ian Freckelton (12 min)

08:49 Overcoming challenges to VRFF — Dr Stanley Terman (5  min)

08:54 The nursing ethics — Susan Sherson (8 min)

09:02 Some ethical reflections on VRFF — Helga Kuhse (12 min)

09:14 The requirements for a good outcome — Tijn Hagens (7 min)

Voluntary Refusal of Food and Fluids (VRFF) by Advance Healthcare Directive

09:21 Keynote address: MyWay Cards — Dr Stanley Terman (25 min)

09:46 Legal view of refusal of assisted oral feeding — Ian Freckelton (20 min)

10:06 Progress in The Netherlands — Ans Baars (9 min)

10:15 Questions from the floor (15 min)

World Federation Right-to-Die Societies 2012 Congress

The World Federation of Right-to-Die Societies 2012 Congress will be held in Zurich from June 13-18, 2012.