Mr. Darby’s event

Mr. Darby’s event

north lima

Mr. Darby’s Antique & Collectible Emporium, located at 11734 South Ave. in the former Giant Eagle, will celebrate its one-year anniversary with “Ladies Night Out,” an after-hours shopping event.

Mr. Darby’s has teamed up with other North Lima businesses for the event, which will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday. Pizza Joe’s Bistro will be serving appetizers, Chalet Premier will be sampling wines and White Birch Lane Tea Room will be offering tea and scones, while Mr. Darby’s and its 68 vendors will be offering discounts.

First Niles loss

niles

First Niles Financial Inc., the holding company for the Home Federal Savings and Loan Association, reported a third-quarter loss of $170,000, compared with a profit of $54,000 for the same period in 2012.

The company has lost $307,000 through the first nine months of the year compared with a $217,000 profit during the same time last year.

Several factors have weighed on the bank’s balance sheet this year, including a higher provision for loan losses, a decrease in revenue and an increase in expenses.

Holiday open house

boardman

Burke Decor, 1419 Boardman-Canfield Road, Suite 280, will host a holiday open house Saturday and Sunday.

From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, customers can make their own mistletoe, win Black Friday shopping deals, learn the techniques of Japanese gift wrapping and design their own custom-stamped gift wrap. Refreshments also will be served.

J&J to pay $2.2B to settle allegations

WASHINGTON

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay more than $2.2 billion to resolve criminal and civil allegations that the company promoted powerful psychiatric drugs for unapproved uses in children, seniors and disabled patients, the Department of Justice announced Monday.

The agreement is the third-largest settlement with a drug maker in U.S. history, and the latest in a string of actions against drug companies purportedly putting profits ahead of patients.

Justice Department officials alleged that J&J used illegal marketing tactics and kickbacks to persuade physicians and pharmacists to prescribe Risperdal and Invega, both antipsychotic drugs, and Natrecor, which is used to treat heart failure.

“J&J’s promotion of Risperdal for unapproved uses threatened the most vulnerable populations of our society — children, the elderly and those with developmental disabilities,” said Zane Memeger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The settlement amount includes $1.72 billion in civil payments to federal and state governments as well as $485 million in criminal fines and forfeited profits.

Monday’s action is the latest example of regulators cracking down on aggressive pharmaceutical marketing tactics, namely trying to increase sales by pushing medicines for unapproved, or “off-label,” uses.

Vindicator staff/wire reports