Monday, December 31, 2012

Mylan recalls painkiller pills made by Qualitest

Dec 20 (Reuters) - Generic drug maker Mylan Inc said on Thursday it is recalling three lots of hydrocone bitartrate, the generic name for Vicodin, and acetaminophen tablets because of concerns that a small number of tablets were too large and therefore too strong.

The drugs were made for Mylan by Qualitest, a unit of Endo Health Solutions Inc, which recalled 101 lots of the pills earlier this month on concerns over the oversized drugs.

The increased acetaminophen content could cause damage to the liver, particularly if the patient is already taking acetaminophen, has liver dysfunction, or consumes more than 3 alcoholic beverages a day, the Food and Drug Administration said on Dec. 6 when Qualitest started the recall.

The recall affects only pills labeled as having 10 milligrams of hydrocodone bitartrate and 500 milligrams of acetaminophen, the generic ingredient in Tylenol.


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Obama praises Hagel as a ‘patriot’

President Obama defended former Sen. Chuck Hagel's (R-Neb.) record on Sunday, rebuffing attacks on the potential nominee for Defense secretary.

Asked whether there was anything that easily disqualified Hagel from becoming secretary of Defense, the president said "not that I see."

"I've served with Chuck Hagel.  I know him.  He is a patriot," Obama said in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "He is somebody who has done extraordinary work both in the United States Senate, somebody who served this country with valor in Vietnam.  And is somebody who's currently serving on my intelligence advisory board and doing an outstanding job."

Hagel, who is believed to be Obama's top choice to replace Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, has recently received criticism for comments he made 14 years ago in opposition to the nomination of James Hormel, who is gay, to serve as ambassador to Luxemborg. The Log Cabin Republicans, a group representing gay Republicans, recently published a full page ad in The New York Times urging Obama to not nominate Hagel for the Pentagon's top post. 

Critics have also attacked Hagel on his stances on Iran and Israel. Foreign policy hawks say Hagel would not take the necessary steps to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. A number of conservative groups have also questioned Hagel's views on Israel, citing the former senator's comments about the "Jewish lobby" trying to influence legislators. 

Obama added that he has not made a decision yet on whom to nominate to succeed Panetta.

Obama noted, though, that Hagel had apologized for his comments on Hormel. 

"I think it's a testimony to what has been a positive change over the last decade in terms of people's attitudes about gays and lesbians serving our country," Obama added. "And that's something that I'm very proud to have led.  And I think that anybody who serves in my administration understands my attitude and position on those issues."

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Remembering Environmentalist Becky Tarbotton, 1973-2012

by Tina Gerhardt, via The Progressive

“We need to remember that the work of our time is bigger than climate change. We need to be setting our sights higher and deeper. What we’re really talking about, if we’re honest with ourselves, is transforming everything about the way we live on this planet. We don’t always know exactly what it is that creates social change. It takes everything from science all the way to faith, and it’s that fertile place right in the middle where really exceptional campaigning happens - and that is where I strive to be.”

– Rebecca Tarbotton

Leading environmentalist and human rights activist, Rebecca “Becky” Tarbotton, executive director of the San Francisco-based organization Rainforest Action Network (RAN), died in a swimming accident north of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Wednesday, December 26, 2012. She was vacationing with her husband and close friends.

She was swimming in the open ocean, encountered some rough waves and inhaled water. Although she was rescued and brought ashore, she could not be revived. According to the police report, she died of asphyxiation.

Nell Greenberg, communications director for RAN, said, “Becky was an emerging star who was galvanizing an ever-growing movement of people demanding environmental and social change.”

Tarbotton was an environmentalist and human rights activist. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 30, 1973, she completed her B.A. in Geography at McGill University and a M.A. in Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia.

Her work began with indigenous communities in far northern Canada. She subsequently lived in Ladakh, India, for eight years, working for the International Society for Ecology and Culture.

Tarbotton took the helm of RAN in 2010, the first woman to do so in the organization’s 27-year history. She led campaigns to preserve rainforests and protect indigenous rights, pushing to the fore the nexus of fossil fuel use, forest degradation and global warming.

Michael Brune, former executive director of RAN and now executive director of the Sierra Club, said, “Becky was a force against deforestation and corporate greed. She was a rising star. We need more women to be leading environmental, and losing a leader and friend like Becky is especially painful.”

Her most recent success was brokering a deal with Walt Disney that would eliminate their use of paper produced from the logging of endangered forests.

Bill McKibben of 350.org said, “She was a fighter with a spring in her step and a bit of fire in her eye.”

“Becky was a leader’s leader. She could walk into the White House and cause a corporate titan to reevaluate his perspective, and then moments later sit down with leaders from other movements and convince them to follow her lead,” Ben Jealous, executive director of the NAACP and a close friend, said. “If we had more heroes like her, America and the world would be a much better place.”

She is survived by her husband, Mateo Williford; her brothers Jesse Tarbotton and Cameron Tarbotton, and her mother, Mary Tarbotton, of Vancouver, BC. Her ashes will be scattered off of Hornby Island in British Columbia where her family owns a cabin and where she spent much time with family and friends.

Public memorial services will be held in San Francisco and in Vancouver. Dates are still to be determined.

For those who would like to send condolences to her family, please send them to the RAN office, 425 Bush Street, Ste 300, San Francisco, CA 94108.

Tina Gerhardt is an independent journalist and academic who covers international climate negotiations, domestic energy policy and related direct actions. Her work has appeared in Alternet, Grist, The Nation, The Progressive and the Washington Monthly. This piece was originally published at The Progressive and was reprinted with permission from the author.

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U.S. food, animal health groups petition FDA on ractopamine

* Action comes after Russia rejects feed additive in meat

* Groups want FDA to study long-term impacts, restrict use

Dec 20 (Reuters) - Food safety and animal welfare groups on Thursday filed a legal petition against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking limits on an animal feed additive that is the subject of concerns about human and animal health.

Russia said earlier this month that it was requiring meat it imports to be tested and certified free of the feed additive ractopamine, a move jeopardizing the more than $500 million a year in exports of U.S. beef and pork to that country.

U.S. trade authorities have taken a stand against Russia's sudden decision to require that meat imports be documented as free of ractopamine and have urged Russia to suspend such measures.

Ractopamine is fed to animals to accelerate growth and make their meat leaner, but countries such as China have banned its use amid concerns the additive may be harmful to the animals and that traces of the drug could persist in meat products.

In their petition to the FDA, the Center for Food Safety and the Animal Legal Defense Fund called for an immediate reduction in the allowable levels of ractopamine and asked FDA to study the long-term effect of human consumption and the impacts on animals associated with ractopamine.

"FDA's approval for ractopamine relied primarily on safety studies conducted by the drug-maker, Elanco," the groups said in a statement. "A review of available evidence collected from FDA and the European Food Safety Authority calls FDA's approvals into question."

The groups said that ractopamine is fed to an estimated 60 to 80 percent of U.S. pigs, and has resulted in more reports of sickened or dead pigs than any other livestock drug on the market. Ractopamine effects may include toxicity and other exposure risks, such as behavioral changes and cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, reproductive, and endocrine problems, the groups said.

About 160 countries ban or restrict ractopamine, including all the nations of the European Union, China, Taiwan, and Russia, the groups said.

The FDA had no immediate comment.


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Modest Steps Could Add Up To Big Success For Clean Energy In 2013

by Noah Ginsberg, via the American Council on Renewable Energy

Looking back at 2012, one thing is certain in the sea of the year’s uncertainty; renewable energy experienced significant growth.

The U.S. solar industry grew at a rate of 13.2%.  A global oversupply of solar panels lowered prices for American consumers, resulting in higher demand and greater profits for solar installation companies. SolarCity’s IPO proved to be successful despite claims that its stock would immediately plummet. And even with excessive political attacks by opponents of renewable energy – over $250 million spent in the 2012 election – the industry has gained strong public support across the country.  Industries such as wind, biofuels, geothermal, hydropower, electric transportation, and solar have achieved success in 2012 but the next step in supporting growth is creating a more stable policy landscape.

Creating a stable policy landscape should start with an extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC), which expires at the end of 2012. The PTC has been very effective in bringing wind energy and other renewable energy sources to scale, unlocking billions of dollars in private investment for wind energy. It encouraged the development of almost 4 GW of wind energy in the first ten months of 2012 alone. The PTC has also contributed to a 38% drop in project development costs for wind farms in the past four years. In order to continue the strong trajectory the industry is on, an extension of the PTC for 2013 and beyond is needed, albeit with an appropriate timeline for a phaseout.

Adopting legislation to qualify renewables as Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) would also attract additional capital into renewable energy development. According to Secretary Chu of the Department of Energy, if MLP legislation is signed into law and renewable energy is considered a “qualified” energy source under MLP legislation, there will be a significant increase in investments in renewable energy development. Furthermore, it will create a stable financial landscape for both small and large-scale investors who wish to enter the market. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware has proposed MLP legislation for renewable energy and his legislation may see bipartisan support in the early months of 2013.

Every year, critics of renewable energy get louder even as the prices of electricity generated from renewable sources decrease. Although 2012 was an election year and political attacks were targeted at renewable energy, the industry braved the storm. The business case for renewable energy has gotten stronger in 2012 and will continue to do so – even if there are some bumps on the horizon.

Now more than ever, the potential, production, and capacity for renewable energy are enormous, but with sound energy policy the potential is exponentially greater. Political gridlock is looming in 2013. The year may not start the way anybody wants it to, but it still has the potential to end on a very high note for American renewable energy.

Noah Ginsberg is a Communications Associate for ACORE. This piece was originally published at ACORE and was reprinted with permission.

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Sen. Graham vows to oppose new federal assault weapons ban

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) pledged Sunday to oppose legislation to reinstate the federal assault weapons ban.

"I think the assault weapons ban didn't work then. It's not going to work now, and I will oppose it," Graham said on "Fox News Sunday."

Graham's opposition comes as a number of legislators prepare to push new measures to reduce gun violence in response to a shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. that claimed the lives of 27, including 20 children. 

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) plans to introduce a new federal assault weapons ban in the next Congress. And on Sunday, President Obama said he wanted to sign into law new gun-control measures in 2013. 

Graham said the last assault weapons ban, which lasted for ten years, was ineffective.

"Well, we had the assault weapons ban from 1994 to 2004 and the conclusion was, it did not change crime by banning assault weapons in an appreciable way, and last year with the lowest murder rate in the history of the United States, people buying more guns, murder rates have gone down -- you are talking about preventing mass murder by mentally unstable persons," Graham said. "You can't take every sharp object out of the reach of people like this."

Graham suggested he supported a proposal by the National Rifle Association (NRA) to post armed guards in schools to prevent shooting massacres similar to Sandy Hook. 

"I own an AR-15 and I have done nothing wrong by owning the gun. If you had armed security, with better rules of engagement, that, to me, is a better way to deal with the situation," Graham said. "And the best way is to identify these people before they act and do something about it."

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Senate Panel Faults State Department And Pentagon In Benghazi Attack Report

A bipartisan Senate Homeland Security report to be released today has found that the State and Defense Departments share blame for the security failures that resulted in the death of 5 Americans after an attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya back in September.

An independent review earlier this month faulted the State Department for failing to adequately respond to security requests prior to the attacks and called for restoring diplomatic security funding Republicans previously cut. While State Department officials have previously accepted responsibility for inadequate security in Benghazi, the new Senate report expands blame to the Pentagon, the Hill reports:

The report also blames the Pentagon, finding that the Defense Department (DOD) had failed to place adequate resources in the region to respond “in the event of a crisis.”

“Although DOD attempted to quickly mobilize its resources, it did not have assets or personnel close enough to reach Benghazi in a timely fashion,” the report concludes.

The Senate report also criticizes the Obama administration’s mixed messages in the aftermath of the Benghazi assault, claiming the White House was “inconsistent” about whether it constituted a terror attack. The inconsistency “contributed to the confusion in the public discourse” about the attacks, wrote Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME).

“We’re going to solve this,” President Obama said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. “We’re not going to pretend that this was not a problem. This was a huge problem. And we’re going to implement every single recommendation that’s been put forward.”


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