Intuitive Surgical warned doctors this week that friction, in certain circumstances, can form in the arms of some of its $1.5 million da Vinci Surgical System robots, which likely would cause the unit to stall. This marks the second warning from the company about its surgical robot in a month.

Intuitive issued an “urgent medical device recall” November 11 alerting customers to the problem, which impacts 1,386 systems worldwide. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the stalling can occur during a sudden “catch-up” if the surgeon pushes through the friction-caused resistance, according to Bloomberg News. More Intuitive Surgical Warns of Potential Friction Buildup in da Vinci Surgical Robot

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which last week filed a lawsuit against Arizona resident/weight-loss marketer Kevin Wright, is alleging that the controversial HCG Platinum‘s diet claims are unsubstantiated, as voices critical of the product have begun calling it dangerous to one’s health.

The HCG diet claims rapid weight loss by using the HCG hormone women produce when they are pregnant. The lawsuit alleges that Wright and his company Right Way Nutrition have endangered customers for years, while raking in millions based on false weight-loss statements. The company claims that the product can help people safely lose one to two pounds a day for weeks. It also claims the product is proven to burn fat, reduce weight and lower cholesterol.

More HCG Products Cause Loss of Muscle, Not Fat

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit in Arizona federal court Wednesday accusing HCG Platinum LLC and Right Way Nutrition LLC of making false claims that their dietary products will help consumers lose extensive amounts of weight over a quick period.

HCG Platinum LLC and Right Way Nutrition LLC are managed by fellow defendant Kevin Wright. Using advertisements for HCG Platinum, liquid drops and related supplements in magazines, retail stores and online, the defendants promise consumers that the products are capable of causing “rapid and substantial” weight loss, Law360.com reported. The ads also claimed that consumers would likely lose as much weight as the people in their advertisements. The FCC found those claims to be false and lacking necessary substantiation.

More FTC Files Lawsuit to Halt Sale of HCG Platinum-branded Weight-loss Supplements

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a letter to Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc., accusing the company of promoting its respiratory drug Brovana in a deceptive manner.  The letter alleges that Sunovion hid warnings of risks in fine print and overstated its drug’s effectiveness by implying it could completely revitalize patients.

Brovana is a treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The FDA had problems with multiple statements in Sunovion’s promotional brochures, including a claim that Brovana could help patients “get back to daily living,” Law 360.com reported.

More FDA Finds Brovana Advertising Deceptive

A group of scientists from the U.S. and the Netherlands tested a bodybuilding supplement called Craze and found a chemical that’s similar to methamphetamine.

In an article published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Drug Testing and Analysis, the scientists warned that the chemical has never been studied in humans, its health risks are unknown and that the presence of this chemical is not disclosed on Craze’s label. Lawsuits have previously been filed against Driven Sports, the manufacturer, mainly over charges related to false advertising of the supplement. Walmart.com, Bodybuilding.com and additional online retailers stopped selling Craze earlier this summer, USA Today reported. However, the powder continued to be available for purchase elsewhere online and in GNC stores, although GNC recently pulled it.

More Nutritional Supplement ‘Craze’ Contains Potentially Dangerous Chemical

Two top UC Irvine surgeons promoted Intuitive Surgical Inc.’s da Vinci surgical robot despite a lack of scientific evidence demonstrating that the device is safe or that it produces better results.

Professors Ralph Clayman and Thomas Ahlering traveled the world, promoting the device as a state-of-the-art surgical tool. They preached to other surgeons that the Da Vinci allows for less-invasive and more-precise surgeries, resulting in better surgical outcomes, the Orange County Register reported. And, conveniently, the two surgeons continually downplay the risks. Despite the lack of scientific evidence supporting the doctors’ claims, hundreds of hospitals purchased the $2 million devices with hopes of drawing in patients for these procedures.

More Two Doctors Touted Use of da Vinci Surgical Robot While Minimizing Its Risks

Johns Hopkins researchers found that gynecological procedures conducted with the da Vinci robotic system had the highest mortality rate of any procedure performed with the device.

According to the researchers, 22 out of 71 da Vinci-related deaths were gynecological procedures, based on information from the databases of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), MassDevice.com reported. Meanwhile, hysterectomies had the most reported complications, representing 43% of injuries, excessive bleeding being the most common.

More Mortality Rate High When da Vinci Used for Gynecological Procedures

Researchers believe that the number of adverse reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the da Vinci robot system over the past 13 years is extremely low.

According to FDA figures, only 245 cases of patient injuries in surgeries performed with the Da Vinci robot system have been reported to the agency since 2000, HealthleadersMedia.com reported. Johns Hopkins researchers believe that number is significantly off, claiming they alone have uncovered eight cases of patient injury or death nowhere to be found in the FDA’s database. The research team is led by laparoscopic pancreas surgeon Marty Makary, MD.  They used media reports and public records to find the eight cases of patient injury or death related to complications of the da Vinci system, HealthleadersMedia.com reported.

More Researchers: da Vinci Robot Injuries Underreported

Lawyers for the plaintiff in the second case against Actos to go to trial argued that drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. put sales of the diabetes drug ahead of consumer safety.

Lawyers representing the family of a deceased Vietnamese man have accused Takeda of failing to warn consumers about the association between Actos and an increased risk of cancer, Bloomberg.com reported. By 2005, Takeda officials had knowledge of studies that linked the diabetes drug to an increased cancer risk, yet failed to issue a public warning until 2011. The plaintiff’s family blames Actos for the man’s development of bladder cancer and subsequent death.

More Lawsuit Claims Actos Caused Deceased Man’s Bladder Cancer

New York’s Attorney General filed a civil lawsuit against Donald Trump, accusing him and his profit-making investment “university” of taking part in illegal, fraudulent, and deceptive activity.

The lawsuit, filed by Eric Schneiderman, seeks restitution for people across the country who were tricked into paying for a series of expensive courses that did not deliver on their promises, the New York Times reported. Trump has defended his investment course, claiming that students were 98 percent satisfied with the program.

More New York Attorney General Sues Trump for Fraudulent University