Product Liability Warnings For Blender and Antinausea Drug

Consumers want to take note of two recent product safety announcements, one involving a popular blender sold at Target stores and another concerning an antinausea drug which has been linked to a potentially fatal heart rhythm.

Defective Blender: On Sept. 15, 2011, Target Corp. and manufacturer Select Brands, Inc. announced the recall of the Chefmate(r) 6-Speed Blender. Target and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have received 11 reports of the blender’s blades separating from the pitcher. In seven cases, consumers using the recalled Target product suffered serious lacerations and injuries to fingers and hands.

Approximately 304,000 defective blenders were sold at Target stores in Massachusetts and nationwide between September 2007 and Febrauary 2011. The blenders have the model number BL-10.

Consumers are advised to return the recalled product to Target stores for a full refund or contact the store’s guest relations department at 800-440-0680.

Drug Danger: Also on Sept. 15, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced clinicians should avoid prescribing the drug ondansetron to patients with congenital long QT syndrome, which is a syndrome affecting the electrical functions of the heart. These patients are at risk for developing an abnormal and potentially fatal heart rhythm called torsades de pointes.

Ondansetron is widely known as Zofran, manufactured by GlasxoSmithKline. It is prescribed to prevent nausea and vomiting experienced during cancer chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery.

The FDA is revising the drug’s label to warn about the risk for the heart arrythmia. It will include recommendations for electrocardiogram monitoring for patients with electrolyte abnormalities, congestive heart failure and bradyarrhythmias and for patients taking other medications.

The FDA is also requiring GlaxoSmithKline to conduct a study to determine the degree to which ondansetron may trigger the complications.

The Massachusetts product liability lawyers at Breakstone, White & Gluck are experienced in representing individuals injured by defective products, including defective medical devices and improperly used medications. If you have been injured, contact us toll-free at 800-379-1244 for a free legal consultation. You can also use our contact form.

Breakstone, White & Gluck is a Boston product liability law firm with lawyers who have over 80 years combined legal experience. We specialize in personal injury, product liability and motor vehicle accident cases.