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Asbestos reform critical in stopping fraudulent lawsuits

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) has encouraged Congress to pass S. 852, the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act (FAIR Act). The legislation establishes a trust fund to reimburse true victims of asbestos exposure while limiting the actions of trial lawyers.

23 Jan 2006

QLT announces trial court decision in ongoing Eligard( patent litigation

QLT Inc. has announced a ruling in the on-going litigation between plaintiff TAP Pharmaceutical Products, Inc. and its co-plaintiffs and defendants QLT USA, Inc. and Sanofi-Synthelabo Inc., a member of the Sanofi-aventis Group.

23 Jan 2006

Women warned about contraceptive patch

The makers of a revolutionary contraceptive patch are warning women that they are at a greater risk of blood clots and other serious side-effects because of the higher doses of hormones the patch delivers.

15 Nov 2005

"Luckiest man" - cured of AIDS - will have further tests

The British man thought to be the first person to have shaken off HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is to undergo further clinical tests in the hope of a breakthrough in treating the condition.

14 Nov 2005

Biothera's beta glucan patents upheld

Cypress Systems Inc. has agreed to stop selling yeast beta glucan and has acknowledged the validity of Biothera's patents as part of the settlement of a lawsuit filed in federal district court last March.

10 Oct 2005

Mylan wins patent litigation

Mylan Laboratories today announced that the federal district court in the Northern District of West Virginia ruled in favor of Mylan in its Oxybutynin patent litigation with Alza Corporation, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

28 Sep 2005

Biota's potential damages claim against GlaxoSmithKline could be as high as $430 million

Biota Holdings Limited of Melbourne, Australia, has announced its Particulars of Loss and Damage in its suit against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for failing to support Biota’s influenza drug, Relenza. The damages assessment was filed with the Victorian Supreme Court and estimates Biota’s losses in the range of $308 million to $430 million.

26 Jul 2005

Webster University announces new M.A. in patent agency

Webster University's College of Arts & Sciences is offering a graduate degree program in Patent Agency. This 36-hour master of arts program, targeted towards working professionals in the technical and scientific fields, is the only known program of its kind nationally.

21 Jul 2005

Malpractice litigation has little to do with erratic quality of health care

Conventional wisdom holds that malpractice lawsuits are the bane of modern medicine, with high insurance premiums driving doctors from the profession and the threat of lawsuits discouraging health-care employees from reporting and correcting medical mistakes.

17 Jul 2005

Emergency physicians' fear of malpractice in evaluating patients with possible acute cardiac ischemia

A new survey of emergency physicians finds those most concerned about lawsuits are more likely to admit patients with cardiac symptoms and to order more tests. The results will be published by Annals of Emergency Medicine as an early online release July 13 (Emergency Physicians' Fear of Malpractice In Evaluating Patients With Possible Acute Cardiac Ischemia).

13 Jul 2005

United States continues to spend significantly more on health care than any country in the world

In 2005, Americans spent 53 percent per capita more than the next highest country, Switzerland, and 140 percent above the median industrialized country, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

13 Jul 2005

Texas medical malpractice claims examined

New research published in the latest issue of Journal of Empirical Legal Studies examines Texas medical malpractice claims and finds no tort crisis.

6 Jul 2005

Patients lose trust at U.S.hospital after hydraulic fluid incident

Officials at Duke Health Raleigh Hospital has sent letters this week to about 4,000 patients whose surgeons unknowingly used instruments washed in hydraulic fluid.

23 Jun 2005

Practice of defensive medicine widespread among physicians in specialties at high risk of lawsuits

More than 90 percent of surveyed physicians in Pennsylvania reported defensive medicine practices such as over-ordering of diagnostic tests, unnecessary referrals and avoidance of high-risk patients, according to a study in the June 1 issue of JAMA.

25 May 2005

Expert analyzes why manufacturers have gradually abandoned vaccines

Recent shortages of vaccines, most recently the flu vaccine during the past winter, are not short-term glitches--they reflect long-term problems in the vaccine industry. A variety of social, legal and economic forces have caused pharmaceutical companies to withdraw their commitment to vaccines, according to pediatrician and vaccine expert Paul A. Offit, M.D., chief of Infectious Diseases at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

10 May 2005

Children are more likely to be awake during surgery than adults

New groundbreaking Australian research has discovered that children are more likely to be awake during surgery than adults.

9 May 2005

Symptoms of concussion may increase when the outcome of a lawsuit is at stake

The condition known as “postconcussional syndrome” is difficult to define medically but is generally defined as a string of cognitive, physical or behavioral losses that occur after a head injury.

1 May 2005

Supreme Court affirms right to sue for pesticide harm

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court today upheld the rights of citizens to sue for damages caused by pesticides, after Dow Chemical Company and the Bush Administration argued that the chemical industry should be shielded from such litigation.

27 Apr 2005

Outbreak of Legionnaires' disease at New York hospital

After four patients contracted Legionnaires' disease at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the state Health Department says appropriate steps have been taken to safeguard patients and staff from an outbreak of the disease.

23 Apr 2005

C-section crisis demands congressional review

April is Cesarean Awareness Month and the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) is renewing its call for Congressional hearings into the nation’s rising Cesarean section rate and the impact on women’s health and the overall health care system. Recent data indicates that as many 4 women in 10 gave birth by Cesarean in 2003, with an increasing percentage of first-time Cesareans being performed with no medical indication.

19 Apr 2005