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Numerous Toyota vehicle owners have been involved in accidents after the gas pedals in their cars became stuck to the floorboard beneath floor mats that slid out of place. During the past several months, Toyota has recalled nearly 6 million vehicles in the United States due to unexpected acceleration, which may occur due to sticky gas pedals and floor mat interference.

On March 12, 2010, prosecutors in Orange County, California filed a lawsuit against Toyota because of continuing problems with its vehicles, according to a recently Associated Press news report.

The district attorney’s office accuses the automaker of knowingly selling hundreds of thousands of vehicles with acceleration defects. The office says it has the right to bring consumer protective action on behalf of Orange County residents. Regulators have linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by accelerator problems.

At least 89 class-action lawsuits have been filed against the Japanese auto giant, which could cost it $3 billion or more. Additionally, Toyota has recalled some Prius and Corolla models due to brake and steering column problems.

Plavix is prescribed to heart disease patients to prevent dangerous blood clots, which can cause heart attack, stroke and death. Plavix was initially approved by the FDA in 1997 and has been linked with serious gastrointestinal problems including gastric and duodenal ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding.

On March 12, 2010, the FDA announced plans to add its strongest warning to the label of Plavix after reports that some patients cannot process the blockbuster blood thinner, according to a recent Associated Press news reports.

The FDA said in a statement that a number of patients with a genetic variation cannot metabolize the drug, putting them at increased risk for heart attack and stroke. Patients can determine if they don’t respond to Plavix by taking a genetic test. The FDA suggests non-responders use other blood thinners, such as aspirin.

The FDA previously added similar language to Plavix’s label, but the new warning appears within a black box, the FDA’s most severe safety warning.

In order to work effectively, Plavix must be broken down by a particular liver enzyme. But FDA says 2 to 14% of people in the United States have low levels of the enzyme, preventing them from successfully processing Plavix. The likelihood of being a non-responder varies by race, according to the FDA.

The new label notes that using a higher dose of Plavix can increase blood thinning in non-responsive patients, though that use has not been cleared by the FDA.

Plavix is marketed by Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Quibb and was the world’s second best selling drug, generating global sales o $8.6 billion in 2008.

In November, the FDA warned that taking stomach-soothing drugs like Prilosec and Nexium alongside Plavix could cut the blood-thinner’s effect in half. Regulators said the key ingredient in the heartburn medications blocks the same liver enzyme needed to break down Plavix, muting the drug’s full effect.

On March 11, 2010, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Hitachi Koki U.S.A., Ltd. announced a voluntary recall of the following defective products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Coil Nailers

Units: About 50,000 in the United States

Importer: Hitachi Koki U.S.A., Ltd., of Norcross, Georgia

Manufacturer: Hitachi Koki Co. Ltd., of Japan

Hazard: The nailers could have a faulty feeder that can allow nails to be ejected sideways, posing a serious injury hazard to the user or bystanders.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received 37 reports of nails being ejected sideways, including 15 reports of injuries. The injuries were primarily in the eye region, including five reports of partial blindness.

Description: The coil nailers are used to project nails into drywall, wood or other materials. The model number is NV83A2 and can be found on the body of the product. Only those units manufactured between October 2002 and September 2005 are included in this recall. The manufacturing date can be identified by the serial number engraved at the end of the handle, the first digit representing the month (1 for January, 2 for February, 3 for March, 4 for April, 5 for May, 6 for June, 7 for July, 8 for August, 9 for September, O for October, N for November and D for December) and the second digit representing the year (2 for 2002, 3 for 2003, 4 for 2004 and 5 for 2005).

Sold at: Lowe’s, Home Depot, other home improvement and building supply stores and online at Amazon.com nationwide from November 2002 through March 2006 for between $350 and $400.
Manufactured in: Japan

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled coil nailer and contact Hitachi Koki U.S.A., Ltd. for a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Hitachi Koki U.S.A., Ltd. at (800) 706-7337 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.hitachipowertools.com