March 14, 2010
HOW TO HANDLE A RUN AWAY PRIUS
The story of a “runaway” Toyota Prius on a Southern California interstate Monday has since raised a lot of controversy. The driver in question, Jim Sikes, told his story to CNN’s Ted Rowlands. He said he was unable to stop the car as it went over 90 mph and called 911 for help.
iReport car reviewer romanmica has been especially interested in this story. He often shares videos of the many test drives he takes, and his honest opinions on each car and how it handles on CNN iReport, but this time it was a little different. Using an “unscientific test,” romanmica wanted to see how easy it was to stop a runaway Prius (needless to say, don’t try this at home). Check out the video above.
“I tested the car on a very seldom-used road and of course made sure that the car would stop in a safe distance,” romanmica told me. “I wanted to show in a very straightforward manner that while the technology may be somewhat new and different, the way you stop the car is very much the same” as a traditional car.
As for Toyota, they told CNN earlier this week that they were investigating the incident. There is also a brake feature that U.S. safety regulators are considering for all cars.
March 3, 2010
Toyota Gas Pedal Problems
The car manufacturer claims that the latest Toyota recall was announced because of problems with the gas pedal mechanism, which can cause the accelerator to stick, regardless of whether the car has a floormat. Toyota stated that in some instances, the gas accelerator mechanism can wear down, making the pedal more difficult to press, slower to return or stuck. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that Toyota gas pedal problems are a “serious safety issue
Toyota Recalled Models
The following recalled Toyota models have been cited in the January recall notice:
•2009-2010 RAV4, Matrix, and Corolla
•2005-2010 Avalon
•2008-2010 Highlander
•2007-2010 Tundra
•2008-2010 Sequoia
•Certain 2007-2010 Camrys
February 20, 2010
Senate report links diabetes drug Avandia to heart attacks
CNN) — The diabetes drug Avandia is linked with tens of thousands of heart attacks, and drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline knew of the risks for years but worked to keep them from the public, according to a Senate committee report released Saturday.
The 334-page report by the Senate Finance Committee also criticized the Food and Drug Administration, saying that the federal agency that regulates food, tobacco and medications overlooked or overrode safety concerns found by its staff.
“Americans have a right to know there are serious health risks associated with Avandia and GlaxoSmithKline had a responsibility to tell them,” said U.S. Senator Max Baucus, a Democrat and committee chairman. “Patients trust drug companies with their health and their lives and GlaxoSmithKline abused that trust.”
The bipartisan report also was signed by Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top-ranking Republican on the committee.
GlaxoSmithKline rejected any assertions Saturday that the drug is not safe.
“We disagree with the conclusions in the report,” company spokeswoman Nancy Pekarek told CNN. “The FDA had reviewed the data and concluded that the drug should be on the market.”
Seven clinical trials on the drug prove that it is not linked to heart attacks, Pekarek said.
“None of that data shows a statistically significant correlation between Avandia and myocardial ischemia or myocardial infarction [heart attack],” she said.
Ischemia is a condition in which blood flow and oxygen are blocked from going to certain parts of the body.
The Senate committee investigation stems from concerns that Avandia and other high-profile drugs put “public safety at risk because the FDA has been too cozy with drug makers and has been regularly outmaneuvered by companies that have a financial interest in downplaying or under-exploring potential safety risks,” the report states.
FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said she is waiting for the recommendations of an advisory committee that will hear reports on the drug this summer.
“Meanwhile,” Hamburg said in a statement, “I am reviewing the inquiry made by Senators Baucus and Grassley and I am reaching out to ensure that I have a complete understanding and awareness of all of the data and issues involved.”
The Senate report was developed over the past two years by committee investigators who reviewed more than 250,000 pages of documents provided by GlaxoSmithKline, the FDA and several research institutes. Committee investigators also conducted numerous interviews and phone calls with GlaxoSmithKline, the FDA and anonymous whistleblowers.
According to the Senate report:
• FDA scientists estimated in July 2007 that Avandia was associated with approximately 83,000 heart attacks since the drug came to market.
“Had GSK considered Avandia’s potential increased cardiovascular risk more seriously when the issue was first raised in 1999 … some of these heart attacks may have been avoided,” the report states.
• GlaxoSmithKline undertook attempts to undermine information critical of Avandia.
“GSK executives attempted to intimidate independent physicians, focused on strategies to minimize or misrepresent findings that Avandia may increase cardiovascular risk and sought ways to downplay findings that a competing drug might reduce cardiovascular risk,” the report says.
As an example, committee investigators say they found that GlaxoSmithKline experts verified an outside study showing the cardiac problem, but the company publicly attacked the findings as incorrect.
• Two FDA safety officials sounded a clear alarm in October 2008 writing, “There is strong evidence that rosiglitazone [Avandia] confers an increased risk of [heart attacks] and heart failure compared to pioglitazone [rival drug on market].” They concluded and trials comparing the two would be “unethical and exploitive.” Yet, the trial is still under way, the senators say.
GlaxoSmithKline counters that the Senate report relies on outdated information.
“In essence, the report is a compilation of information and events that took place years ago,” spokeswoman Pekarek said. “There’s no new data there.”
The FDA has evaluated at the drug, Pekarek said, and updated product labeling in 2007 to say information on Avandia’s relationship to myocardial ischemia is inconclusive.
“The FDA exists to ensure patient safety,” she said. “That is their purpose.”
In essence, the report is a compilation of information and events that took place years ago. There’s no new data there.
–Nancy Pekarek , GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman
RELATED TOPICS
Avandia
GlaxoSmithKline plc
Food and Drug Administration
U.S. Senate Committee on Finance
Avandia has been under scrutiny for years. The New England Journal of Medicine called the drug’s safety into question in 2007. The Journal of the American Medical Association also questioned whether Avandia was safe in 2007.
“Among patients with impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes, rosiglitazone use for at least 12 months is associated with a significantly increased risk of myocardial infarction and heart failure, without a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular mortality,” the AMA journal wrote, adding that the “findings have potential regulatory and clinical implications.”
“Regulatory agencies ought to re-evaluate whether rosiglitazone should be allowed to remain on the market,” the report said. “Health plans and physicians should not wait for regulatory actions. They should avoid using rosiglitazone in patients with diabetes who are at risk of cardiovascular events, especially since safer treatment alternatives are available.”
Read the report
In 2007, an FDA panel recommended by a vote of 22-1 that Avandia should remain on the market despite an analysis showing links to increased risk of heart attack. The vote was not binding, but a suggestion to FDA regulators.
The panel also voted 20-3 at the same meeting in support of data that showed Avandia increased the risk of cardiac ischemia in patients with the most common type of diabetes.
The Senate report does not address the issue of whether Avandia should be removed from the market.
CNN’s Lisa Desjardins, Saundra Young, Miriam Falco and Arthur Brice contributed to this report.
December 17, 2009
Holiday Safety Tips
It’s that time of year! Friends, family, shopping, dining and…crime? While anytime is a good time to think about personal safety and crime prevention, Philip DeBerard would like to remind citizens of some easy techniques that will help keep them and their property safe during the holidays!
CAR PROWL PREVENTION
• When you exit or enter your parked vehicle, take a moment to look around the area.
• Turn off and lock your car whenever you have to walk away from it. This includes at gas pumps, ATM machines, etc. Never leave your car idling.
• Before leaving your parked car, always remove the keys, roll up the windows and lock the car.
• Leave No Valuables in Your Car. Never leave valuables in your car. Items of little or no value to you still look inviting to a thief. Even pocket change is enough of an enticement for some thieves.
• If you must leave valuables in your car (say you’re out shopping and still have some stops to make), make sure that nothing of value is within plain view. Place items in your car trunk out of sight. Do this when you get to your car, rather than waiting until you park at your next stop. Often, people will arrive at their destination and then put items in the trunk. They’ve just shown anyone who may be around that they just put valuables in the trunk and then walked away from their vehicles. So, if you are going to put something in your trunk, place it in before you get to your destination so you don’t show everyone that you’ve just put valuables in your trunk.
• Don’t leave accessories visible in your car. You may have taken the Laptop or IPod in with you, but if you leave the USB cables for your laptop or earbuds for the IPod in the back seat, the offender may think those items are in the car and break in anyway.
• Think about how the GPS is mounted in your car. If the mounting for the GPS is visible, the thief may think the GPS is in the glove box or under the seat and may break in to try to get it. Have removable mounting for the GPS and put that out of sight as well.
• If possible, store your car in a closed and locked garage. Make a habit of locking your garage door and car doors.
• If your car is stored in a carport or parked near your house, leave your exterior lights on throughout the night.
• If you park on the street, choose a well-lit, open space even if it means adding additional street/yard lighting & trimming back trees/bushes that block your view of your vehicle.
• If you park in a paid lot, use lots that have attendants.
• Consider replacing the light fixture closest to your car with a motion detector unit. Motion detectors are a good psychological deterrents since the normal assumption of a person seeing a light come on is that someone has seen them. Additionally, the light makes the prowler or thief more visible.
• You may want to consider an alarm system for the car. An alarm will not prevent anyone from gaining entry or damaging the car, but the noise of the alarm will draw attention to the car and therefore to the thief. Additionally, many alarm systems have a blinking red light mounted on the dash. That visible indicator may be a deterrent to would be thieves.
