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In continuing coverage, the Telegraph (UK) reports, in continuing coverage, on research from the University of California, San Diego, which found that nicotine-free e-cigarette vapor caused “50 per cent more DNA strand breaks,” when applied to human epithelial cells in a lab setting, “while for those containing nicotine the damage rose three fold over eight weeks.” The article states that the exposed cells “died far sooner than those left untreated.” Lead researcher Dr Jessica Wang-Rodriquez, a professor of pathology, said, “Based on the evidence to date I believe they are no better than smoking regular cigarettes.” The research was published in the Journal of Oncology. The Press Association (UK) also reports that “e-cigarettes could be ‘no better’ than smoking regular cigarettes and may even cause cancer.”

The Daily Mail oversimplifies and sensationalizes the issue, summarizing that the e-cigarettes “were found to cause cancer” due to “toxins that can spark tumor growth.” It then explains that “scientists found that the affected cells were also more likely to launch into programmed cell death or cell injury – known as apoptosis and necrosis respectively.”

The Daily Mirror (UK)  also points out that the “Food and Drug Administration does not regulate e-cigarettes and has warned of possible health risks, although evidence is limited as they have just been readily available for less than a decade.”

From the news release of the American Association for Justice.

ABC World News Tonight  reported John Hopkins researchers say medical errors are now the third-leading cause of death in the US, with an estimated 250,000 fatal medical mistakes in 2013. Only heart disease and cancer cause more deaths.

The CBS Evening News reported that medical errors can include mistakes in diagnosis, poor discharge instructions, “and preventable complications such as infections picked up in the hospital.” Dr. Martin Makary of John Hopkins School of Medicine said such mistakes “shouldn’t happen in a sound health care system.” Dr. Jon Lapook added that “patients can only do so much” to defend themselves, and ultimately, it is up to hospitals and medical centers to “shine a light on the problem.”

From the news release of the American Association for Justice.

MedCity News reports that “an alarming trend” is occurring in the medical device industry in which “many medical device companies are compiling and submitting 510(k)s to FDA for review without establishing a QMS, without documenting Design Controls, and without document [sic] Risk Management.” Since “FDA does not officially check that the company has established documentation and records aligning with regulations during a 510(k) submission review,” medical device companies that neglect these documents “may not realize the perils of their mistakes for a couple years.”

From the news release of the American Association for Justice.

Natural Products Insider reports in its “Insider Law” blog that CVS Pharmacy has been named in a lawsuit “that contends the retailer has engaged in unfair and deceptive practices through the marketing and sale of a dietary supplement known as Algal-900 DHA.” The class action case focuses on “whether the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids contained in CVS’s product is capable of bolstering one’s memory.”

From the news release of the American Association for Justice.

Reuters reports the Justice Department said Tuesday the Japanese company Olympus Corp’s US Olympus Corp of the Americas and Olympus Latin America Inc units agreed to pay $312.4 million in criminal penalties and an additional $310.8 million for civil claims to resolve allegations regarding kickbacks paid to doctors and hospitals that allowed those units to make over $600 million in sales and $230 million in gross profits. Although the company admitted to criminal conduct it can avoid being convicted after three years so long as it complies with terms of a deal with the DOJ.

The Los Angeles Times adds that Olympus admitted to paying “to fly three doctors from a prominent California hospital to Japan for a weeklong vacation.” At an Olympus-sponsored forum, “the company paid for doctors’ lavish meals, ballooning, winery tours, golf and spa treatments because it was ‘a great way to network, talk business, socialize without our competitors,’ an Olympus employee explained, according to the complaint.” The doctors and hospitals involved in the complaint were not named publicly.

According to Bloomberg News, the federal complaint alleged that “from 2006 to 2011, Olympus Corporation of the Americas sold $7 billion in medical equipment, fueled by $600 million procured by giving financial benefits to hospitals and doctors.” The article adds background that endoscope manufacturers including Olympus “have been under fire for more than a year since deadly outbreaks of drug-resistant bacteria linked to their products came to light at hospitals in Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and elsewhere.” The scopes sometimes passed so-called “‘superbug infections’ among patients for months before doctors realized the problem, according to regulators and hospitals.” The AP adds that recently the FDA approved “a modified version of Olympus’ endoscope that is designed to be easier to clean.”

From the news release of the American Association for Justice.

The Hill reported that “it is embarrassingly easy to hack medical devices, experts warn, creating a new security threat that could have life-or-death consequences.” The Hill explains many devices are “easily hacked” because they “are produced by legacy companies that are new to designing software” or by startups “that have to bootstrap costs.” The Hill cites how the Department of Homeland Security and the Food and Drug Administration last year “advised hospitals to discontinue using” drug infusion pump made by Hospira after it was found to have one of the most serious “vulnerabilities.” Security researcher Billy Rios highlighted several problems with protecting the medical devices against hackers, in particular their “lengthy development time” and “long life cycle” in a hospital. The Hill adds the FDA “is starting to mobilize to combat the threat, although some say the agency is not moving quickly enough.”

From the news release of the American Association for Justice.