An Arizona man has filed a lawsuit against the makers of Actos, claiming the diabetes drug caused him to develop bladder cancer.

The lawsuit was brought forward by the national law firm Parker Waichman LLP, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, where it is one of thousands of cases that have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL). It names Takeda Pharmaceuticals, America; Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. f/k/a Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; and Eli Lilly and Company as defendants.

More Arizona Man Files Actos Lawsuit, Alleging it Caused him to Develop Bladder Cancer

Hurricane Sandy-related litigation against the Long Island Power Authority and/or National Grid will be consolidated into one action in the Supreme Court, County of Nassau.

The court also ordered the formation of a Plaintiffs Steering Committee consisting of Co-Lead Counsels in the now-consolidated lawsuits against the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) and/or National Grid, said the national law firm Parker Waichman LLP, which is a Co-Lead Counsel on the steering committee.

More Hurricane Sandy Litigation Consolidated at Supreme Court of Nassau County

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to pregnant women who suffer from migraines that the use of the drug Depakote can lower a child’s IQ by up to 11 points.

The announcement comes as Depakote is changing from a Category D classification (meaning the drug is acceptable despite potential risks) to a Category X (meaning that the risks outweigh the possible benefits), Fox News reported. The FDA is recommending that women who take Depakote should also take birth control, or cease taking Depakote if they are attempting to become pregnant.

More FDA Warns Pregnant Women: Depakote can Lower a Child’s IQ

A group of Canadian health researchers claim they were fired by the British Columbia health ministry because of their findings that some antipsychotic medications covered by the Canadian government’s health program caused some dangerous side effects.

The specific drugs are not mentioned in the Law360.com report but we’ve reported on the side effects associated with atypical antipsychotic drugs in the past. Some of the most commonly prescribed atypical antipsychotic drugs are Abilify, Seroquel, and Zyprexa. We’ve reported that this class of drugs has been linked in the past to an increased risk of diabetes and other blood sugar disorders. Atypical antipsychotic drugs have been associated with a rising number of cases of injuries and death.

More Canadian Health Ministry Fired Researchers Over Antipsychotic Drug Side Effect Findings, Suit Says

Unsanitary working conditions in a dentist’s office in Oklahoma have left 7,000 patients worried about the possibility that they were infected with hepatitis or HIV.

Investigators found unsanitary, as well as unprofessional, conditions at Scott Harrington’s dentist office in Owasso. One official said that conditions there created a perfect storm for infections, CNN.com said. As of Saturday, 420 of the 7,000 patients had been tested, with the results due back within two weeks.

Harrington gave up his dental license on March 20, after investigators found violations related to staffing and sterilization, among other things. The investigation was launched after one of Harrington’s patients tested positive for hepatitis C, CNN.com said.

More Tulsa Dental Patients Await Test Results for Hepatitis, HIV Exposure

Many Dodge Ram owners say the dashboards in their vehicles are falling apart and they are filing complaints with the Center for Auto Safety.

Michael Wickenden, who operates the site, CarComplaints.com, says issues with disintegrating and cracking Dodge Ram dashboards are a major problem. Wickenden told The New York Times that Ram dashboards are “definitely one of the top problems right now, mainly in model years from 1999 to 2003 and throughout the Dodge Ram model line from the 1500 all the way up to the 3500,”The New York Times reported. More Owners Concerned About Safety as Dodge Ram Dashboards Crumble

A Maryland man has died from rabies and three others are being treated for the disease after they were implanted with organs from an infected donor.

Doctors did not test for rabies as there was no reason to believe the donor had contracted the disease. The deceased was implanted with a kidney, and the donor’s heart and liver were also implanted in the other recipients. More Rabies Kills Organ Transplant Patient

Stryker Corp. says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent it a warning letter related to quality concerns at one of its its Portage, Michigan facilities. Stryker received the letter after an inspection of the facility in November. The company also apparently failed to inform the FDA of a product recall and that it was marketing unapproved devices. The FDA acknowledges that the orthopedic device maker has submitted corrective action plans, said Stryker.

Stryker did not name the Portage facility that was inspected, nor did it name the product involved in the recall. The company would only say that the issues related to marketing practices concerned its Neptune Waste Management System product, which is used to collect and dispose of surgical fluid waste in operating rooms and at surgical centers, according to Reuters.com. More Stryker Receives FDA Warning Over Quality Issues, Marketing Practices

If new legislative reform makes its way to Albany, New York, adult child sex abuse victims there may be able to file civil lawsuits against their perpetrators.

Children’s advocates are hopeful that this will be the year that the bill–which failed four times over opposition from some Catholic and ultra-Orthodox groups–will be passed. The legislation would allow countless lawsuits against Orthodox and Catholic institutions accused of failing to report child sexual abuse to the proper authorities to progress, according to The Jewish Daily Forward. More New Legislation Would Allow Child Sex Abuse Victims More Time to Prosecute Abusers

Use of barefoot running shoes has become popular among people who believe the practice can reverse past injuries related to modern running shoes, and also prevent future injuries.

Exercise enthusiasts, who wear minimalist “barefoot” shoes,” point out that humans ran shoeless for ages, and say it is perfectly natural, according to a The New York Times report. But, when Dr. Douglas Brown started noticing an increase in heel and foot problems among so-called “barefoot” runners, he suspected that the all-natural practice might be causing injuries. Unable to find a study to back up his suspicions, the Orem, Utah, doctor called on Sarah Ridge, a professor of exercise science at Brigham Young University, to embark on one. The results confirmed what Brown had suspected, according to The Times. More Barefoot Running Shoes May Cause Foot Injuries