Product Safety

For the first time in history, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug called Addyi to assist in boosting sexual desire in women. People are calling it the “Viagra for women” though it operates quite differently than Viagra. Unlike Viagra, which treats erectile dysfunction by increasing blood flow, Addyi – also chemically known as Flibanserin – treats hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) by tackling chemical imbalances in the brain. Additionally, Addyi must be taken regularly to obtain the desired effect while Viagra need only be ingested before a sexual encounter.

[Read more…] about Risks Involved in Boosting Female Libido with Addyi

From the American Association for Justice:

Since 1974, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued more than 850 recalls for toy products, many for hazards like magnets, lead and other dangers hidden in our children’s toys. Between 2004 and 2008, toy-related injuries increased 12 percent. Also, The CPSC is woefully under-resourced to cope with the flood of new products entering the U.S. marketplace.

The result of such corporate negligence and regulatory powerlessness is that dangerous products can be sold on shelves for years before the public has any idea of their hazards. In the face of such risks, and with so few resources at hand, the nation has come to rely on parents, consumer groups and the civil justice system to serve both as an early warning system and an enforcement mechanism against negligent corporations and their dangerous toys.

Playing With Safety

From the American Association for Justice:

Every day there is another recall or warning of a product that turned out to have design flaws or unexpected problems – a drug with an unanticipated side effect, a toy with a sharp piece that can injure a child, or a popular food product that may have been contaminated in production. These recalls and warnings are so frequent that consumers are no longer surprised. What would surprise consumers is the fact that sometimes those who are responsible for these dangers know about the problem and do nothing about it. People find it hard to believe that anybody would cover up a product’s danger and then market that product to the very people it is likely to kill or injure. Yet, that is exactly what happens time and time again. The following pages contain true stories of corporations that have known their products were dangerous, sometimes deadly, but continued to push them onto unsuspecting consumers.

They Knew And Failed To