New once-a-day HIV treament, combining four drugs, wins approval. The Food and Drug Administration approved a pill from Gilead Sciences that will be known as Stribild. It is the third once-a-day pill for HIV from Gilead, after Atripla in 2006 and Complera in 2011. In the late 1990s, when cocktails of drugs began to be used to successfully treat the infection, patients sometimes had to take two dozen pills, at various times of the day and night. But the price Gilead plans to charge, about $28,500 a year, was criticized as “shockingly irresponsible” by a leading AIDS activist. He said it would put additional pressure on the already strained public health programs that pay for the majority of HIV medications. The New York Times
Obama administration finalizes new auto efficiency standards for cars and light trucks. The White House said the improvements will nearly double the fuel efficiency of the nation’s vehicles to an average of 54.5 miles per gallon and will save Americans $1.7 trillion dollars at the pump by the time the standards are fully in place in 2025. The administration won the support of several major automakers, including Detroit’s Big Three, for the new rules. They are expected to cost the industry $157.3 billion, according to a preliminary proposal. Under the new rules, motorists are expected to pay on average $3,000 more for a vehicle, but administration officials say it will be offset by the savings at the pump. USA Today
Safety investigators blame pilot in Reno air race crash that killed 11 last year. The National Transportation Safety Board faulted 74-year-old pilot Jimmy Leeward and the inadequately tested modifications he made to his World War II-era fighter to make it fly faster. The craft soared at more than 500 mph before screws in its tail assembly loosened, sending the craft plunging to the ground. The crash killed the pilot and 10 spectators, and injured 70 others. “If you want to go out and fly fast and try to win, that’s one thing,” an NTSB official said. “If you’re modifying an aircraft without fully understanding how the modifications can affect the aerodynamics, you’re playing Russian roulette.” The Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle
Steel wire company faces penalties of up to $145,530 in death of Georgia worker. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration accused a Koswire Inc. plant in Flowery Branch, Ga., of 19 offenses, including one willful violation, the agency’s most serious charge. OSHA launched its investigation in March when a 30-year-old employee was killed after becoming caught in moving wire and being pulled into rotating rolls. OSHA said the incident was preventable, and accused Koswire of failing to provide machine guards to protect workers from pinch points and rotating parts on equipment throughout the plant. OSHA placed the Korean-based firm in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program. OSHA, AccessNorthGa.com
Fatality leads to seven charges against Tyson Foods in Nebraska. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s citations against the big food company’s plant in Dakota City, Neb., included two willful violations, the agency’s most serious charge. OSHA’s investigation followed a March accident in which a 37-year-old mechanic was crushed when a chain failed and equipment he was working on fell. The agency accused Tyson of, among other charges, ineffective safety equipment inspections. It proposed penalties of $104,200. “It is unthinkable that an employer would allow workers in and around dangerous operations without ensuring that sufficient safeguards are in place,” an OSHA official said. OSHA, Sioux City (Iowa) Journal
Recalls: Mangoes imported from Mexico, Sherwin-Williams automotive paint, Tree House acrylic coating and Krylon glaze and acrylic paint, eecycleworks bicycle brakes, Reumofan Plus Tablets, Protica protein shakes, Bay Valley pecan salad toppings, Cucina Fresca smoked tomato sauce, True Nutrition whey products
Compiled by Stuart Silverstein
