FDA Issues Public Health Advisory for Mifepristone

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating recently reported serious adverse events associated with mifepristone (trade name Mifeprex, also known as RU-486). As a result, the FDA is issuing a public health advisory today highlighting the risk of sepsis or blood infection when undergoing medical abortion using Mifeprex and misoprostol in a manner that is not consistent with the approved labeling. There are now four cases of deaths from infection from September 2003 to June 2005 following medical abortion with these drugs.
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FDA Announces Class I Recall of Baxter Healthcare’s Colleague Volumetric Infusion Pumps

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that Baxter Healthcare Corporation of Deerfield, Ill., has initiated a worldwide recall of all models of its Colleague Volumetric Infusion Pumps because they can shut down while delivering critical medication and fluids to patients. Baxter has received six reports of serious injury and three reports of death associated with this shut-down problem. The affected are: Models 2M8151, 2M8151R, 2M8161, 2M8161R, 2M8153, 2M8153R, 2M8163, and 2M8163R.
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For Release: July 26, 2005

Norvergence Judgment Eliminates $47 Million
In Consumer Debt Owed for Worthless Telecom Services

Company Promised Savings to Small Businesses and Non-Profits
Through Convergence of Voice, Internet, and Cellular Phone Services
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DOT 103-05
Contact: Bill Mosley, Tel.: (202) 366-4570
Thursday, July 21, 2005

DOT Launches New Website to Assist Persons with Disabilities For Emergency Preparedness

The U.S. Department of Transportation today launched a new web site containing information to help ensure safe and secure transportation for persons with disabilities in the event of a disaster or emergency.
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For Release: July 20, 2005

FTC Cracks down on Illegal “X-rated” Spam

E-Mail Exposed Children, Others, to Graphic Content

In a crackdown on operations that illegally expose unwitting consumers to graphic sexual content, the Federal Trade Commission has charged seven companies with violating federal laws requiring warning labels on e-mail that contains sexually-explicit content. U.S. District Court suits filed against three operations seek civil penalties and a permanent bar on the illegal marketing. Settlements with four other operations have imposed $1.159 million in civil penalties. The settlements bar the illegal marketing practices in the future and require that the defendants monitor their affiliates to ensure they are not violating the law.
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For Release: July 19, 2005

Fraudulent “Debt Negotiators” Settle FTC Charges

A group of defendants promising negotiation services that would “drastically” reduce consumers’ debts have settled Federal Trade Commission charges that their deceptive claims violated federal law and harmed consumers who engaged the defendants’ services and stopped contacting creditors. The defendants are barred from advertising or participating in any debt negotiation business in the future.
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SEC CHARGES STOCK PROMOTERS IN PHONY FAX SCAM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2005-101

Washington, D.C., July 18, 2005 - The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed charges in a scam designed to con investors into believing they had inadvertently received a confidential stock tip faxed from a stockbroker to his client. Unlike typical unsolicited junk faxes recommending penny stocks, the handwritten fax had the appearance of an urgent message from a financial planner intended only for his client, “Dr. Mitchel,” urging “Dr. Mitchel” to immediately buy shares of a stock that was about to triple in price. In fact, according to the Commission, neither the financial planner nor “Dr. Mitchel” exists. Rather, the bogus fax was sent to more than one million recipients across the country - including a fax machine in the Commission’s San Francisco office - by stock promoters who made over half a million dollars unloading their shares on duped investors.
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For Release: July 15, 2005

Columbia House Settles FTC Charges of Do Not Call Violations

The Columbia House Company, a well-known direct marketer of home entertainment products, has settled Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated federal law by calling existing or past subscribers of its home entertainment clubs after the subscribers had placed their telephone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, and after the subscribers had made specific requests to the company that they not be called. Columbia House will pay a $300,000 civil penalty and is barred from making illegal telemarketing calls in the future.
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For Release: July 13, 2005

FTC Takes Action Against Marketers of Top-Selling Xenadrine EFX

The Federal Trade Commission has filed a federal district court complaint charging Robert Chinery, Jr., Tracy Chinery, and their company, RTC Research & Development, LLC (the Chinery defendants) with making misleading weight loss claims for the popular dietary supplement Xenadrine EFX.
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SEC CHARGES INDIVIDUALS WITH FRAUDULENT SCHEME TO OBTAIN STOCK IN NEWALLIANCE BANKSHARES IPO
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2005-93

Washington, D.C., June 28, 2005 - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the filing of civil fraud charges against five individuals in connection with the initial public offering of NewAlliance Bancshares, Inc. The fraud arises out of a scheme orchestrated by Defendant Robert Ross, along with Defendants Chance Vought, George Kundrat, John Lucarelli, and Frederick Raila, in which they illegally purchased stock in the NewAlliance IPO in violation of the federal securities laws. The SEC’s action was brought in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut also brought related criminal charges in connection with the scheme.
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