Drug Company Pays to Have Medical Articles Written To Enhance Sales of Its Drugs
The use of ghostwriters—professional writers who assist non-writers to write a book or article and who are paid for their work but receive no public credit for their efforts—hence the ghost in the term—are widely used. It is common for professional sports stars, politicians or actors to utilize ghostwriters when writing their Great American novel. […]
The Medical Malpractice Insurance Myth Debunked
Many of you have no doubt heard the repeated hue and cry of some who complain that doctors are being put out of business because of medical malpractice claims and the increasing malpractice insurance premiums they must pay. The press accounts of patients going without doctors in parts of the country where insurance premiums for […]
FDA’s Role in Regulating Drugs and Protecting Health
The U S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an agency that is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It is responsible for the regulation and oversight of many products consumers use on a daily basis, such as foodstuffs, drugs (both prescription and over the counter, or OTC drugs), medical […]
MESOTHELIOMA VICTIMS AUTOPSY CANNOT BE COMPELLED
On March 18, 2009, a New Jersey Appellate Court ruled against two companies which had tried to compel an autopsy of a man who had just died of mesothelioma. To make matters worse, the two companies, Honeywell and Chrysler, did this between the time his family and friends had just departed from Spotswood, New Jersey, […]
Supreme Court Rejects Federal Preemption – Wyeth v. Levine
The U.S. Supreme Court on March 4, 2009 issued what will be one of the most important decisions of this term. In Wyeth v. Levine, the court wrote in a 6 to 3 opinion a sweeping and powerful rejection of Wyeth’s argument, that plaintiff’s right to sue was barred by the concept of federal preemption. […]
FENTANYL PAIN PATCH RECALL
Two lots of Duragesic pain patches were recalled on December 31, 2008 by the Pri-Cara division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which is a unit of Johnson & Johnson. The reason given was that cuts in the product might allow direct exposure to the fentanyl gel, which is a very powerful opioid. That exposure can cause […]
Carbon Monoxide – Advances in Medical Knowledge
The danger of carbon monoxide has been recognized in terms of its hypoxic effect for some time. This happens because carbon monoxide binds with the red blood cells or hemoglobin at a rate 240 times greater than does oxygen. This displaces oxygen in the transport to the organs of the body that are so dependent […]
Big Trucks and Busses Continue to Account for Too Many Serious Highway Accidents
Much of American commerce is carried by big trucks on our highways, but far too many major accidents occur involving negligence or even reckless indifference by truckers and trucking companies. Truckers are governed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations which contain many requirements from checking the safety equipment on trucks before a truck leaves […]