Pharmaceutical company Merck is currently fighting lawsuits brought by patients of their drug Vioxx, who claim the drug caused them to suffer severe health complications such as heart attacks and strokes. However, new allegations suggest that Merck may have known about the propensity of the drug to cause these health complications and kept the [...]

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PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (AP) _ The husband of a 21-year-old mother who was kidnapped, raped and killed plans to sue a sheriff’s office over how it handled 911 calls about her disappearance.
Nathan Lee blames Charlotte County sheriff’s officials for not saving Denise Lee in January.
Four 911 calls tipped authorities to Lee’s struggle. Three were from [...]

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WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it is investigating a possible link between Merck’s allergy drug Singulair and suicide.
FDA said it is reviewing reports of mood changes, suicidal behavior and suicide in patients who have taken the drug, which was Merck’s best-selling product last year.
In the past year Merck has updated [...]

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By:  LINDSEY O’NEILL, ESQ. 
An anonymous note was recently left at an apartment complex near Western Illinois University, officials said.  Security  measures have been increased and students are free to skip-class.  Northern Illinois University, Virginia Tech, Columbine, Santana, Red Lake High… even school shootings in the peaceful Amish community.  Even one is too many to report.  School safety [...]

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By: LISA R. WILSON
With over 10 million units of toys recalled in the United States in 2007, one could assume that most children today will not reach adolescence without having been hurt, poisoned or maimed by a defective toy. Lead-containing parts, razor-sharp plastics, small, choke-inducing gadgets—these materials sound like weapons used in a Turkish [...]

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By WILLIAM McCALL Associated Press Writer
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) _ First New York, then Oregon, and now Australia. Dr. Jayant Patel is accused of leaving a bloody trail of mistakes as a surgeon, now resulting in manslaughter charges.
His arrest at his Portland home Tuesday morning started the legal clock ticking on an extradition request by Australia, [...]

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By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ More than 44,000 people have signed up for shares of a $4.85 billion settlement over the withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, a sign that the deal is on track to go forward, Merck & Co. announced Monday.
Of roughly 47,000 people who registered for the settlement earlier this year, [...]

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By CHRISTINE SIMMONS Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Safety officials announced a recall of 24,000 cribs Thursday and also warned parents against putting their babies to bed with pillows and other soft bedding that could suffocate them.
The 24,000 Indonesian-made cribs were recalled for putting children at risk of falling out. The cribs, imported by Munire [...]

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By MARTIGA LOHN Associated Press Writer
ST. PAUL (AP) _ Dozens of victims of last summer’s bridge collapse in Minneapolis _ from surviving spouses to the parents of children riding on a yellow school bus _ have filed preliminary paperwork to sue the state.
The documents, obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request, provide [...]

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By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ Hurricane Katrina’s victims have put a price tag on their suffering and it is staggering _ including one plaintiff seeking the unlikely sum of $3 quadrillion.
A whopping $3,014,170,389,176,410 is the dollar figure so far sought from some of the largest claims filed against the federal government [...]

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