Roanoke Personal Injury Lawyer - medications

Lawsuits Protect Consumers! Who Said That?

Dan Frith — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:22:08 GMT

Most people would believe that only a trial lawyer would say "lawsuits protect consumers." You know...those greedy trial lawyers who do nothing positive for our society or economy.

But do you know who said lawsuits protect consumers? Doctors...that's right, Doctors!

According to an article in USA Today, lawsuits can serve as "a vital deterrent" and protect consumers if drug companies do not disclose risks to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before it approves medicines for use, the editors of the New England Journal of Medicine said in a friend-of-the-court brief. The FDA "is in no position" to guarantee drug safety, the brief said.

The case is Wyeth v. Levine, expected to be heard late this year and could have far-reaching implications for litigation over allegedly harmful drugs. Basically, Wyeth argues that it cannot be sued in state court (I say held accountable) for injuries caused by medications it manufactures as long as the FDA has approved the drug.

Poppycock...and the Doctors and anyone else who is honest and unbiased know it!

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Frith

Pfizer Settles Lawsuits Over Painkillers

Dan Frith — Fri, 09 May 2008 06:19:00 GMT

The reports are begining to be circulated that another member of "Big Pharma", Pfizer, Inc., has settled a group of cases with plaintiffs who allege the painkillers, Celebrex and Bextra, caused heart attacks and strokes. The reported settlements are only with approximately 200 plaintiffs, but thousands of people have sued Pfizer over the two medications.

Celebrex is in the Cox-2 inhibitor drug class and is the last drug of this classification to still be sold in the US. Vioxx and Bextra manufactured by Merck, also Cox-2 inhibitor painkillers, were withdrawn from the market due to safety concerns. It is reported that Pfizer is offering approximately $200,000 per per plaintiff in the Bextra cases and between $40,000 and $50,000 for the Celebrex suits.

Pfizer has been in trouble with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before, most recently over apparent misleading information about Dr. Robert Jarvik and the cholesterol medication, Lipitor.

It sure is nice to see Big Pharma accepting legal responsibility for their unsafe drugs.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Frith