FDA to Strengthen Drug Safety Review

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced plans to strengthen drug safety review efforts, and has outlined a comprehensive commitment to the safety of drugs and other medical products -- including plans to strengthen the science that supports the FDA's product safety system, and steps to improve communication and information flow among all stakeholders involved in promoting the safe use of medical products.

• Read the FDA Press Release
• FDA Widens Safety Reviews on New Drugs (NY Times)
• What You Need to Know to Use Medicine Safely (FDA)

Study: Ads Exaggerate Benefits of Prescription Drugs

Drug companies overstate the benefits of prescription drugs in their television advertising, and TV ads for these medications have limited educational value, according to a study published in the latest issue of Annals of Family Medicine.

As explained in the article's stated purpose: "American television viewers see as many as 16 hours of prescription drug advertisements each year, yet no research has examined how television ads attempt to influence consumers. This information is important, because ads may not meet their educational potential, possibly prompting consumers to request prescriptions that are clinically inappropriate or more expensive than equally effective alternatives."

• Read the full text of the article: Creating Demand for Prescription Drugs: A Content Analysis of Television Direct-to-Consumer Advertising, from the Annals of Family Medicine.
• Things You Should Know: Taking Prescription Medications, from FindLaw.

TV Special "The Supreme Court" to Air on PBS Jan. 31 and Feb. 7

A TV special on the U.S. Supreme Court will premier this week on PBS television stations nationwide. This program is entitled "The Supreme Court" and is produced by Thirteen/WNET New York. The series will air over two weeks -- on January 31, 2007 and February 7, 2007 at 9 pm EST.  To learn more:

• Official website of The Supreme Court TV Series on PBS
• TV station finder - Information on the channel and time you can watch this program in your area.
• The History of the Supreme Court - An educational resource from New York Life Insurance Company that is a companion resource to The Supreme Court TV series on PBS
• Related FindLaw resources:
  • FindLaw U.S. Supreme Court Center - U.S. Supreme Court calendar, legal briefs, recent rulings, and much more
  • FindLaw U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - Search and browse over 100 years of U.S. Supreme Court opinions
  • Page on The Supreme Court TV Series on PBS
  • FindLaw U.S. Supreme Court Awareness Survey

Study Links Antidepressants to Bone Fractures in Older Patients

A new study finds that use of certain antidepressants by older patients exposes them to an increased risk of suffering bone fractures. The study, carried out by a number of Canadian research scientists, suggests that patients over 50 years of age who take Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) on a daily basis -- including Celexa, Fluvoxamine, Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft -- are twice as likely to suffer bone fractures.

• Read an Abstract of the Study, from the Archives of Internal Medicine.
• Read a CNN News Article on the study, from CNN.com.

IRS: Taxpayers Have Until April 17 to File and Pay

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that taxpayers will have until Tuesday, April 17, 2007, to file their 2006 returns and pay any taxes due. Taxpayers will have extra time to file and pay because April 15 falls on a Sunday in 2007, and the following day (Monday, April 16) is Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in the District of Columbia. Read the IRS Press Release.

• Visit FindLaw's Tax Center for up-to-date information on filing your taxes.

Bangor is First U.S. City to Ban Smoking in Cars with Children

Earlier this month the City Council of Bangor, Maine approved an ordinance that revised the Code of the City of Bangor to prohibit smoking in motor vehicles when there is a person younger than 18 years old present.  This ordinance was effective as of January 19.  As reported by the Bangor Daily News, an anonymous donor contributed $2,000 to pay for a radio campaign to inform the local community about the new measure.

Bangor appears to be the first U.S. city to enact such a measure, although similar bans have approved in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Puetro Rico. Other states are considering similar measures.

For some background information on the Bangor ordinance you can read item #3 from these minutes of the Bangor City Council Government Operations Committee (.doc format).  Please note that although these minutes indicate that a violation of the measure would be a "secondary offense", in the final approved ordinance this was revised to be a "primary offense," which means that police can stop a vehicle if a violation is observed.  The Bangor Daily News also has an article on the approval of this measure.

California Bans Perchloroethylene (Perc) from Dry Cleaning

At a meeting today the California Air Resources Board (ARB) unanimously approved banning the use of perchloroethylene (Perc), a potential carcinogen, from dry cleaning and water-repelling operations.  This ban will be implemented in a phased approach and is to be completed by January 1, 2023.  California is the first state to enact such a ban.  For more information:

• News article on the ban (AP via MercuryNews.com)
• Text of the new measure (PDF) (also available in Korean)
• Information on the ban from the California Air Resources Board  (PDF)
• Staff report: Initial statement of reasons (PDF)
• Staff presentation (PDF)

Study: Distractions Cause Thousands of Teen Car Accidents

Distractions such as cell phones, other passengers, high emotions, and fatigue contribute to thousands of car accidents involving teenage drivers, according to a new study by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance Companies.

• Read the News Release and Survey Results, from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
• Read a FindLaw News Article on the study, from the Associated Press.
• Learn more about Motor Vehicle Accidents, from FindLaw.

State Farm Reaches Settlement on Katrina Claims

State Farm Insurance has reached an agreement with officials from the State of Mississippi under which the insurer will pay the claims of more than 600 Mississippi homeowners who suffered serious property damage after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005. As part of the agreement, State Farm will also reconsider the closed claims of thousands of other Mississippi homeowners.

• From the Mississippi Sun Herald: State Farm Settles
• From the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger: Settlement Raises Hopes of Officials
• Read a State Farm Press Release on the settlement agreement.

President Bush Delivers 2007 State of the Union Address

On Tuesday January 23rd President Bush delivered the 2007 State of the Union Address.  The speech discussed both domestic and foreign policy matters.  Resources to learn more:

• Full text of 2007 State of the Union Address (Whitehouse.gov)
• Special section on the 2007 State of the Union Address (Whitehouse.gov)
• 2007 State of the Union Policy Initiatives (also in PDF) (Whitehouse.gov)

Also, as reference you can read Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, which contains the Constitutional reference regarding the President providing a State of the Union to Congress.