- More Trans Fat Law Suits After NYC Three Already Successful, Theories Abound
New York City's decision to ban trans fat increases the likelihood of even more trans fats law suits -- three of which have already been successful -- by focusing attention on the problem, and also showing that removing trans fat from a vast variety of foods is feasible, says the public interest law professor who has been called the lawyer "Who's Leading the Battle Against Big Fat," and "a Major Crusader Against Big Tobacco and Now Among Those Targeting the Food Industry." - ACLU Affiliate Files Suit Saying R.I. College Violated First Amendment By Removing Signs Protesting
Rhode Island College violated the First Amendment rights of a student group last year when it removed signs placed to advocate for reproductive freedom and protest "the refusal of contraception by pharmacists," according to a lawsuit filed in a federal court on Monday by the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Providence Journal reports. - ACLU Affiliate Files Suit Saying R.I. College Violated First Amendment By Removing Signs
Rhode Island College violated the First Amendment rights of a student group last year when it removed signs placed to advocate for reproductive freedom and protest "the refusal of contraception by pharmacists," according to a lawsuit filed in a federal court on Monday by the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Providence Journal reports. - NIH Scientist Charged With Conflict-of-Interest Violation
Federal prosecutors on Monday charged NIH scientist Trey Sunderland with one misdemeanor count for violation of federal conflict-of-interest rules over his alleged acceptance of $285,000 in consulting fees and other payments from Pfizer and failure to disclose the agreement properly, the Washington Post reports (Fahrenthold, Washington Post, 12/5). - Pennsylvania Supreme Court Ruling Revives Class-Action Lawsuit Against Independence Blue Cross
Advocacy groups will be able to proceed with a class-action lawsuit alleging that Philadelphia-based insurer Independence Blue Cross keeps excessive surplus funds after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned a commonwealth Court decision that the courts had no jurisdiction in the case - CRR Should Be Denied Access To White House Documents, Testimony In Plan B Lawsuit, DOJ Letter Says
The Center for Reproductive Rights is on a "fishing expedition" for White House documents and testimony in a case related to FDA's rejection in 2004 of Barr Laboratories' application for nonprescription sales of the emergency contraceptive Plan B, and it should be denied the right to review such files, Department of Justice attorney John Tyler wrote in a letter sent to CRR on Thursday - Kansas Supreme Court Declines Abortion Clinics' Request To Appoint Special Prosecutor, Seize Records
The Kansas Supreme Court on Thursday declined a request by two abortion clinics in the state to seize from state Attorney General Phill Kline (R) the medical records of 90 women and girls who underwent late-term abortions - Indiana AG Carter, Planned Parenthood Representatives Sign Settlement Denying Access To Medical Reco
Indiana AG Carter, Planned Parenthood Representatives Sign Settlement Denying Access To Medical Records Of Patients Under Age 14 - Connecticut Judge Orders HMOs To Publicly Release Information On Reimbursements For Medicaid Benefic
Three HMOs that administer managed care plans for Connecticut's Medicaid program must make public the rates they pay providers and other information, state Superior Court Judge George Levine ruled on Wednesday, the Hartford Courant reports. - Maryland Attorneys Appeal Ruling Against Fair Share Health Care Act, Lawmakers Examine Other Ways To
Attorneys for the state of Maryland on Thursday argued before a federal appeals court in defense of a law that would require Wal-Mart Stores to increase spending on health care for employees, the AP/Hampton Roads Daily Press reports (Chen Sampson, AP/Hampton Roads Daily Press, 11/30). - Chinese Court Upholds 4-Year, 3-Month Prison Term For Human Rights Advocate Chen Guangcheng
A court in China's Shandong province on Friday upheld a four-year, three-month prison sentence for human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng -- who was arrested in China after attempting to bring a class-action lawsuit against the government for alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement of the country's one-child-per-family policy -- the Washington Post reports (Fan, Washington Post, 12/1). - Revision Of Rape Laws In Pakistan Is A Valuable Step Towards Empowering Women
Pakistan's recent vote in favour of the Women's Protection Bill, which allows rape cases to be tried under the civil penal code rather than under Sharia law - Tobacco Companies Admit Their Products Cause Cancer, But Not In Those Who Sue Them
Despite publicly admitting, to varying degrees, that cigarette smoking causes cancer, the industry has consistently dismissed these claims for people who have sued them, reveals an analysis of recent lawsuits, published in a supplement to Tobacco Control. - Libya Must Free The 6 Health Workers Wrongly Accused Of Infecting Children With HIV
Libya must acknowledge that the case involving six health workers accused of deliberately infecting over 400 children with HIV has no legal foundation, states an Editorial in The Lancet. The Lancet calls for these health workers to be freed immediately. - District Court Judge Denies Preliminary Injunction In Ortho V. Amgen Suit
Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN), today announced that United States District Court Judge Stanley R. Chesler has denied Ortho Biotech's request for a preliminary injunction against the 2006 Amgen Portfolio Contract. The lawsuit involves Amgen sales discounts on Aranesp(R) (darbepoetin alfa) to its best customers. - Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Features Medical Malpractice Developments In Two States
The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report highlights recent developments related to medical malpractice in two states. Summaries appear below. - Portuguese Constitutional Court Rules In Favor Of National Referendum On Decriminalizing Abortion
The Portuguese Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled 7-6 in favor of allowing a national referendum aimed at decriminalizing abortion in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, Reuters reports (Reuters, 11/15). - Up To 50% Of Medicines Sold Through Rogue Web Sites
The World Health Organization (WHO) and more than 20 international partners are today launching a comprehensive package of measures to help national authorities safeguard their populations from the dangers of counterfeit medicines. - Missouri Supreme Court Hears Arguments In Law Barring Minors From Obtaining Abortions Without Parent
The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in a case regarding a challenge to an abortion-related law (SB 1) that bars minors from undergoing the procedure without the consent of a parent or guardian, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (Franck, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/16). - Philadelphia Settles Lawsuit Over Alleged Discrimination Against HIV-Positive Man By EMTs
The city of Philadelphia on Monday settled a civil-rights lawsuit over alleged discrimination against an HIV-positive man who said that city emergency medical technicians provided inappropriate care after they leaned his HIV status - Federal Appeals Court Upholds Ohio Abortion Regulation, Strikes Down Another Provision
A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Monday unanimously ruled to uphold part of an Ohio abortion law (HB 421) that requires women to receive counseling prior to undergoing abortion and strike down another section of the law that would have given minors only one chance to seek judicial bypass to undergo an abortion without parental consent, the AP/Akron Beacon Journal reports (Cornwell, AP/Akron Beacon Journal, 11/13). - Restaurant Association Files Suit To Block San Francisco Universal Health Care Law
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, a culinary trade group with more than 800 members in San Francisco, has filed a lawsuit against the city to block part of an ordinance that requires businesses with 20 or more employees to contribute to the cost of workers' health care, the New York Times reports (Marshall, New York Times, 11/14). - Fla. AG Crist Asks Court To Review Ballot Proposal That Would Require $20M In Annual Appropriations
Florida Attorney General and Gov.-elect Charlie Crist (R) on Tuesday asked the state Supreme Court to review a proposed constitutional amendment that would require the state to appropriate $20 million annually for 10 years to human embryonic stem cell research projects, the AP/Bradenton Herald reports. - Supreme Court Justices In Arguments Of Federal Abortion Ban Challenge Ask About Medical Details
Supreme Court justices on Wednesday during arguments in a Department of Justice appeal to uphold a federal law banning so-called "partial-birth" abortion focused "intensely" on the medical methods used in the procedures banned by the law and its health implications, the Washington Post reports (Lane, Washington Post, 11/9). - Federal Judge Grants CRR Subpoenas For White House Documents, Testimony In Plan B Lawsuit
Federal Magistrate Viktor Pohorelsky on Monday ruled that the Center for Reproductive Rights can seek more than three years of White House documents related to FDA's rejection in 2004 of Barr Laboratories' application for nonprescription sales of the emergency contraceptive Plan B, the AP/Washington Post reports (AP/Washington Post, 11/9). - Several Arguments In Briefs Of Appeal Of Federal Abortion Ban Addressed To Justice Kennedy
Numerous arguments in the briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court for a Department of Justice appeal to uphold a federal law banning so-called "partial-birth" abortion are "clearly, if implicitly, addressed" to Justice Anthony Kennedy, the New York Times reports (Greenhouse, New York Times, 11/5). President Bush signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (S 3) into law in November 2003. - Amerigroup Must Pay At Least $144M After Jury Found HMO Systematically Avoided Enrolling Pregnant Women
A federal jury in Chicago on Monday ordered Virginia-based health insurer Amerigroup, which had operated Medicaid managed care plans in Illinois, to pay $48 million in damages -- an amount that will triple to $144 million under the federal False Claims Act -- for discrimination against pregnant women and other beneficiaries with health issues, the Chicago Tribune reports (Bush, Chicago Tribune, 10/31). - Amerigroup Must Pay At Least $144M After Jury Found HMO Systematically Avoided Enrolling Pregnant
A federal jury in Chicago on Monday ordered Virginia-based health insurer Amerigroup, which had operated Medicaid managed care plans in Illinois, to pay $48 million in damages -- an amount that will triple to $144 million under the federal False Claims Act -- for discrimination against pregnant women and other beneficiaries with health issues, the Chicago Tribune reports. - Medical Workers Charged With Infecting Libyan Children With HIV Were Tortured, Attorneys Say
Attorneys for five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor accused of intentionally infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV on Tuesday during a hearing in their retrial said that the health workers were tortured while in custody, AFP/Yahoo! News reports (Geblawi, AFP/Yahoo! News, 10/31). - Chinese Appeals Court Orders Retrial For Human Rights Advocate Chen Guangcheng
An appeals court in China's Shandong province on Tuesday ordered a retrial for human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng -- who was arrested in China after trying to expose alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement of the country's one-child-per-family policy -- according to one of Chen's lawyers, the New York Times reports (Kahn, New York Times, 11/1). - Federal Appeals Court Hears Arguments In Case Challenging Michigan's Ban On Certain Late-Term
A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Thursday heard arguments in an appeal of a lower court's ruling that declared unconstitutional a Michigan law that would have banned so-called "partial-birth" abortions, the AP/Detroit Free Press reports (Kinney, AP/Detroit Free Press, 10/26). - USA Today Examines Issues Supreme Court Will Decide In Challenge To Federal Abortion Ban
USA Today on Monday examined how Congress' "power to limit the reach" of Roe v. Wade -- the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case that effectively barred state abortion bans -- by "restricting medical options for women" will be tested in the Department of Justice's appeal to the high court to uphold a federal law banning so-called "partial-birth" abortion (Biskupic, USA Today, 10/30). - Laurie Garrett On Health Workers Sentenced To Die In Libya
In an essay published urgently in the international open access journal PloS Medicine, Pulitzer Prize winning author Laurie Garrett warns that if Libya proceeds with the executions of six foreign health workers accused of infecting children with HIV, the appalling injustice will threaten health workers worldwide and endanger their patients in the poorest parts of the world. - Lawsuit Alleges Aetna's Limited-Benefits Plans Misleading
The consumer advocacy group Citizens for Economic Opportunity on Wednesday filed suit in a Connecticut court alleging that limited-benefits health insurance plans sold by Aetna subsidiary Strategic Resources Company mislead consumers into thinking they have more comprehensive coverage than the plans provide, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. - Trial Involving Medical Workers Accused Of Infecting Libyan Children With HIV Involves
The "scientific community, AIDS activists and Libyan government would do well to recognize ... the political and diplomatic import of the case" involving five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor accused of infecting Libyan children with HIV, Laurie Garrett, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, writes in a PLoS Medicine opinion piece (Garrett, PLoS Medicine, 10/26). - Massachusetts Attorney General Sues Low-Cost Health Insurer Alleging Unfair Practices
Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly (D) on Monday filed a lawsuit against Texas-based HealthMarkets, which sells low-cost health insurance to small businesses and students in the state, accusing the company of deceptive marketing practices and improper denials of patient claims, the Boston Globe reports. - Mississippi Supreme Court Issues Stay In Court-Ordered $20M Payments To Smoking Cessation Program
The Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday voted 6-1 to freeze funds to the Partnership for Healthy Mississippi for tobacco cessation programs pending a county court decision to determine how funds from the 1997 tobacco settlement can be distributed, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports. - BlueCross BlueShield Of Illinois Proposes Small Business Health Insurance Mandate
BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois has proposed legislation that would require small businesses with between two and 50 employees to provide health insurance for workers, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. - New York State Court Of Appeals Upholds State's Contraceptive Coverage Law, Roman Catholic Church
The New York State Court of Appeals on Thursday voted 6-0 to uphold rulings by the New York Supreme Court and the Appellate Division to leave intact a state law that requires employers -- including the Roman Catholic Church and other religious organizations -- who offer prescription drug plans to provide coverage for FDA-approved contraceptives for women, the New York Times reports (Lueck, New York Times, 10/20). - Blue Cross Of California Settles Patient Accusations That It Systematically Canceled Policies
Blue Cross of California on Tuesday agreed to settle more than 70 lawsuits and claims filed by individual health plan members who alleged that Blue Cross illegally revoked their coverage, the Los Angeles Times reports. The suits accused Blue Cross of violating state laws that prohibit insurers from canceling coverage unless a policyholder intentionally lied on the medical history application. - California Court Rules In Favor Of SPLENDA® (Sucralose) Sweeteners In Lawsuit Against Sugar
The U.S. District Court (Central District) of California yesterday denied the Sugar Association's motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought by McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, on behalf of its SPLENDA® (sucralose) Sweeteners products. - California Court Rules In Favor Of SPLENDA(R) Sweeteners In Lawsuit Against Sugar Association
The U.S. District Court (Central District) of California yesterday denied the Sugar Association's motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought by McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, on behalf of its SPLENDA(R) Sweeteners products. - Former FDA Administrator Crawford Pleads Guilty In Conflict Of Interest Case
Lester Crawford, who resigned as FDA commissioner in September 2005, on Tuesday pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to charges of false reporting and conflicts of interest related to ownership of stocks in companies that are regulated by the agency, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Bridges, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/18). - Former FDA Chief Crawford Pleads Guilty To Not Disclosing Financial Ties To Agency-Regulated
Lester Crawford, who resigned as FDA commissioner last year, is expected to plead guilty on Tuesday to federal charges that he failed to disclose his and his wife's ownership of stock in companies regulated by the agency, according to his attorney, Barbara Van Gelder, the Washington Post reports (Kaufman, Washington Post, 10/17). - UnitedHealth CEO McGuire Resigns Over Backdated Stock Options
Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group on Sunday announced that company Chair and CEO William McGuire will resign as chair immediately and resign as CEO by Dec. 1, after the release of a report that found McGuire likely received backdated stock options, the AP/Washington Post reports (Freed, AP/Washington Post, 10/16). - Scalia During ACLU Debate Says Liberal Judges Have Improperly Established Abortion Rights
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Sunday during a debate with American Civil Liberties Union President Nadine Strossen said that liberal judges have inappropriately established rights such as abortion, the AP/ABC News reports (Yen, AP/ABC News, 10/15). - Judge Declares Mistrial In Case Against Wyeth's Prempro
A judge in a Pennsylvania state court in Philadelphia on Wednesday declared a mistrial in a case in which a jury ruled that the use of Wyeth's combination hormone replacement therapy Prempro in part caused breast cancer to develop in a 66-year-old woman, the Wall Street Journal reports. Judge Norman Ackerman of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas granted the mistrial following a motion filed by Wyeth (Wall Street Journal, 10/12). - FDA Attorneys Seek Dismissal Of Plan B Lawsuit; CRR Lawyers Seek Subpoenas For White House Documents
The Center for Reproductive Rights on Wednesday during two hearings at a U.S. District Court in New York City asked federal judges to grant a subpoena of White House documents and officials in its lawsuit against FDA over the agency's rejection of Barr Laboratories' first application for nonprescription Plan B sales, Long Island Newsday reports (Kerr, Long Island Newsday, 10/12). - Supreme Court Rejects Appeal By Plaintiff In Doe V. Bolton To Overturn Companion Case To Roe V. Wade
The Supreme Court on Tuesday without comment rejected an appeal by Sandra Cano -- the anonymous plaintiff "Mary Doe" in the 1973 Supreme Court case Doe v. Bolton, the companion case to Roe v. Wade -- to overturn the decision, CNN.com reports (Mears, CNN.com, 10/10). - Federal Agencies Collected $1.47B In Fraud From Government Health Insurance Programs In FY 2005
The Department of Justice and the HHS Office of Inspector General in a report issued this week announced that their joint Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program -- which attempts to reduce waste, fraud and abuse in federal health care programs -- will collect $1.47 billion from criminal or civil cases brought during fiscal year 2005, The Hill reports. - Federal Trial Begins For HMO Charged With Denying Pregnant Women, Seriously Ill People Coverage
The federal trial for Chicago-based HMO Amerigroup Corporation -- who has been charged with denying pregnant women and seriously ill people health care coverage -- began Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune reports. - U.S. Court Of Appeals Sets January For Arguments Over Erroneously Sent Medicare Premium
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Wednesday issued a temporary hold on an order by a lower court that CMS must inform 230,000 Medicare beneficiaries who received erroneous reimbursements of their Medicare prescription drug benefit premiums of their right to request a waiver of recovery of the funds, the Washington Post reports. - Supreme Court Declines To Hear Privacy Suit Over Electronic Health Records
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a lawsuit by privacy advocates alleging that a federal rule on the disclosure of personal information on electronic health records is insufficient, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The federal rule, implemented in 2003, allows health care providers to decide whether to seek patients' consent before using or disclosing medical information electronically for routine purposes. - Philadelphia Hormone Therapy Trial Finishes First Phase
Wyeth (NYSE: WYE) announced today that the case of Jennie Nelson v. Wyeth, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas will continue to the second, or liability, phase following today's jury decision in the first phase of the trial. During the first part of this bifurcated (two-phase) trial, the jury found that the plaintiff's use of hormone therapy was a cause of her breast cancer and determined compensatory damages of $1.5 million. - Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Features Recent Developments Related To Medical Malpractice
The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report highlights recent developments related to medical malpractice in two states. Summaries appear below.
Florida: The Florida Medical Association on Thursday asked physicians in the state to require patients to sign a waiver prior to treatment that would cap noneconomic damages in potential malpractice lawsuits at $250,000, the St. Petersburg Times reports. - Experts At BMJ Voice Concern That Criminalizing HIV Transmission Would Be A Threat To Public Health
Experts in this week's BMJ express serious concerns about the public health impact of criminalising HIV transmission. - New Study Reports On Attacks Against U.S. Abortion Clinics
Crime and violence against abortion clinics are no longer in the headlines, but that doesn't mean they no longer happen. A new study reports on the ongoing vandalism and harassment that are part of the job for those who work in many abortion clinics across the United States. - Federal Judge Orders Government Not To Collect Incorrect Payments Sent To Medicare Beneficiaries
On Wednesday, September 27, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the Medicare program from recovering Part D premium refunds mistakenly sent out by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) until the affected beneficiaries are given the opportunity to seek a waiver of recovery. - Eisai Lawsuit Against Generic Drug Manufacturers Dismissed
Eisai Co., Ltd. today announced that lawsuits filed against three pharmaceutical manufacturers regarding the sales of generic versions of Selbex capsule 50mg ('Selbex'; generic name: teprenone) have been dismissed by the Intellectual Property High Court. - W. Va. Governor Settles Lawsuit Challenging Stricter Eligibility For In-Home Services Program
The administration of West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D) on Wednesday announced it would settle a lawsuit over stricter eligibility guidelines adopted in November 2005 that disqualified hundreds of seniors and residents with disabilities from a state sponsored in-home medical care program, the Charleston Gazette reports (Finn, Charleston Gazette, 9/21). - Retrial Of Medical Workers Accused Of Infecting Libyan Children With HIV Adjourned Until Oct. 31
The retrial of five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor accused of infecting Libyan children with HIV adjourned on Thursday until Oct. 31 after a defense lawyer for the Bulgarian nurses was hospitalized for high blood pressure and could not appear in court, the Sofia News Agency reports (Sofia News Agency, 9/22). - Class Action Suit Against Tobacco Firms
A class action suit status was granted against the tobacco industry today by U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein, Brooklyn, USA. Experts say that the bill for the tobacco companies could hit as high as $200 billion. Tobacco companies are being sued because they are alleged to have conned smokers who were concerned about their health by labeling cigarette packets with such words as 'light' or 'lights'. - Physicians File Suit Against Regence
Physician leaders of the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) and representatives of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) announced a lawsuit filed by the WSMA and physicians against Regence BlueShield. - Physicians File Suit Against Regence
Physician leaders of the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) and representatives of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) announced a lawsuit filed by the WSMA and physicians against Regence BlueShield. - CMS Halts Efforts To Reclaim Improperly Mailed Medicare Drug Benefit Premium Refunds After Advocacy
Some of the 230,000 Medicare beneficiaries who last month received erroneous reimbursements of their Medicare drug benefit premiums should not have to repay them, according to a lawsuit filed by the Center for Medicare Advocacy on behalf of two consumer advocacy groups, AP/Long Island Newsday reports. A computer error resulted in beneficiaries receiving an average reimbursement of $215. The reimbursements equaled the amount of beneficiaries' monthly premiums paid this year. - Health Policy Experts Conclude Health Courts Will Have Major Advantages For Patient Safety
In the latest issue of The Milbank Quarterly, the prominent peer-reviewed health care policy journal, four health care experts explore the idea of “health courts” and their potential implications for patient safety. They conclude that health courts “will have major advantages for patient safety,” and they urge that demonstration projects of health courts be undertaken as “a means of determining, at relatively low risk, whether the asserted benefits of health courts will materialize.” - Jury Dismisses Lawsuit Against Wyeth In First Pempro Case
A jury in a U.S. District Court in Little Rock, Ark., on Friday dismissed negligence charges in the first of about 5,000 lawsuits filed over Prempro, a combination hormone replacement therapy manufactured by Wyeth, and found the drug's design was not defective, Reuters reports (Barnes, Reuters, 9/15). - Lawmakers To Address "Lower-Profile" Health Legislation Before November Recess
With Congress returning this week, congressional leaders "are looking to pass a few lower-profile health bills before the end of the 109th Congress," The Hill reports. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), committee ranking member Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. - U.S. Magistrate Recommends End Of Oversight Of Hawaii Adult Mental Health Division By Federal Court
U.S. Magistrate Kevin Chang on Monday recommended in his 12th and final report to U.S. District Judge David Ezra that the court end oversight of the Adult Mental Health Division of the Hawaii Department of Health because of significant improvements in mental health services provided by the division, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, reports (Altonn, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 8/30). - Lawyers For Human Rights Advocate Chen Guangcheng Prevented From Meeting To Prepare Appeal
Lawyers for human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng, who was arrested in China after trying to expose alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement of the country's one-child-per-family policy, on Wednesday said they were prevented from meeting with their client privately to prepare an appeal, the Washington Post reports (Fan, Washington Post, 8/31). - US Marshals Seize Defective Infusion Pumps Made By Alaris Products
At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California issued a warrant for seizure of Alaris Signature Edition Gold infusion pumps, model numbers 7130, 7131, 7230 and 7231. The pumps are manufactured by Cardinal Health Care 303, Inc. and the seizure occurred August 25. The seized infusion pumps have a design defect called "key bounce" that may cause potential over-infusion of medications. - Schering-Plough Reaches Agreement With U.S. Attorney's Office For District Of Massachusetts
Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP) has reached an agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts and the U.S. Department of Justice to settle the previously disclosed investigation involving the company's sales, marketing and clinical trial practices and programs. The agreement reached today resolves that investigation, which began prior to the arrival of the new management team. - Preliminary Injunction Ordered In PLAVIX® Patent Infringement Case
Paris, France and New York - Sanofi-aventis (Paris Bourse: EURONEXT: SAN; and New York: NYSE: SNY) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (New York: NYSE: BMY) (the "companies") today announced that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has granted a preliminary injunction ordering Apotex Inc. and Apotex Corp. ("Apotex") to halt its sales of a generic version of clopidogrel bisulfate product that competes with PLAVIX®. - In Victory For Patients, Federal Court Rules That Compounded Medicines Are Legal
The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists today applauded the ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Robert Junell that compounding is legal. The Court's written opinion follows an initial ruling from the bench issued on May 25, 2006. - Schering-Plough To Pay $435M, Plead Guilty To Conspiracy To Settle Federal Investigation Into Market
Schering-Plough on Tuesday agreed to pay $435 million and plead guilty to criminal conspiracy charges to settle a federal investigation into the company's marketing practices and Medicaid charges, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (AP/Houston Chronicle, 8/30). - Federal Appeals Court Panel Denies Injunction In Enforcement Of Oklahoma Parental Notification Law
A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday in Denver denied an injunction to be issued on a 2005 Oklahoma parental notification law that requires physicians to notify in writing a parent or guardian of any minor seeking an abortion at least 48 hours before performing the procedure, the AP/KTEN reports (AP/KTEN, 8/25). - Florida Medical Students May Be Deterred From Entering Obstetrics And Gynecology Due To Malpractice
The medical malpractice climate in Florida is discouraging medical students from pursuing careers in obstetrics and gynecology - a trend that could further reduce patients' access to obstetric care, a survey by the University of South Florida College of Medicine found. - Chinese Human Rights Advocate Sentenced To 4 Years, 3 Months In Prison
Human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng, who was arrested after trying to expose alleged abuses associated with the enforcement of the country's one-child-per-family policy, on Thursday was sentenced by a court in China's Shandong province to four years and three months in prison for "willfully damaging property" and "organizing a mob to disturb traffic," Agence France-Presse reports Agence France-Presse reports (Agence France-Presse, 8/24). - U.S. District Judge Dismisses Montgomery County, Md., Lawsuit Seeking To Overturn FDA Decision
U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams in Greenbelt, Md., on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Montgomery County, Md., that sought to overturn an FDA decision not to approve a waiver for a program to allow county employees to purchase lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports (AP/Baltimore Sun, 8/24). - Opening Arguments In Prempro Trial Begin
Opening arguments in the first of more than 5,000 lawsuits filed over Prempro, a combination hormone replacement therapy manufactured by Wyeth, began Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Little Rock, Ark., the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (Satter, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 8/24). - Arguments In First Prempro Trial To Begin Wednesday
Arguments in the first of more than 5,000 lawsuits filed over Prempro, a combination hormone replacement therapy manufactured by Wyeth, are scheduled to begin Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Little Rock, Ark., the Wall Street Journal reports (Won Tesoriero, Wall Street Journal, 8/23). - Jury Selection In First Prempro Trial To Begin Tuesday
Jury selection in the first of more than 5,000 lawsuits filed over Prempro, a combination hormone replacement therapy manufactured by Wyeth, is expected to begin Tuesday in federal court in Little Rock, Ark., Bloomberg/Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Bloomberg/Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/22). - China Officials Detain Lawyers Of Human Rights Activist Before Tria
Lawyers for human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng, who was arrested in the country's Shandong province after trying to expose alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement of the country's one-child-per-family policy, on Friday boycotted Chen's trial after three of them were detained and prohibited from counseling their client Thursday, according to one of the attorneys, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (Olesen, AP/Houston Chronicle, 8/18). - Study Assesses QIO Efforts In Improving Health Care
Intensive efforts by the nation's Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), supported by the Medicare program, likely led to nationwide improvements in the quality of health care provided to patients in a wide variety of settings, according to a study released yesterday in the online edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine. - "Culture Of Medicine," Not Fear Of Malpractice, Prompts Physicians To Withhold Information
Physicians often fail to inform patients about medical errors because of the "culture of medicine," rather than because of concerns about malpractice lawsuits, according to a study published on Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the Seattle Times reports. - More Than 100,000 Cases To Be Filed In Florida Following Tobacco Conspiracy Ruling
A U.S. District judge yesterday ruled that the United States' top cigarette makers conspired for decades to mislead the public about the health hazards and addictive nature of smoking. That decision mirrors findings recently affirmed by Florida's Supreme Court that Big Tobacco has been conspiring for years to mislead consumers and that its products are both cancer causing and defective. - Georgia Physicians File Lawsuit Alleging That HMOs Have Not Paid Medicaid Claims
Three private HMOs contracting with Georgia to oversee care for Medicaid beneficiaries have not paid providers for millions of dollars in outstanding claims, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Fulton County, Ga., Superior Court, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. - Lung Cancer Alliance Hails Court Decision Nailing Tobacco Companies With Racketeering And Conspiracy
The Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) hailed yesterday's court decision in United States v. Philip Morris USA, Inc. After a lengthy trial, a federal court in Washington, DC found that major tobacco companies engaged in racketeering and conspiracy for decades in a massive scheme to addict people to smoking "without regard for the human tragedy or social costs" that resulted. - Date Set For Trial Of Chinese Human Rights Advocate Chen Guangcheng
The trial of human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng, who was arrested in the country's Shangdong province after trying to expose alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement of the country's one-child-per-family policy, is scheduled to begin on Friday in county court in Yinan, China, according to Chen's attorney Li Jinsong, the Associated Press reports (Associated Press, 8/14). - Physicians More Likely To Disclose Medical Errors That Would Be Apparent To The Patient
While physicians in the United States and Canada generally support disclosing medical errors to patients, they vary widely in when and how they would tell patients an error had occurred, according to two articles in the August 14/28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
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