Archive for 2009
Did Yasmin Clinical Trials Lack Female Researchers?
December 27th, 2009. By janem
Historically, clinical trials have studied more males than females, and researchers–for several reasons–test mostly or exclusively men. The Yasmin manufacturer says the effectiveness and safety of Yasmin was established in large-scale clinical trials: it involved 2,629 women. This number may seem substantial, but Viagra was given to over 3,000 men (of course) during its clinical trials and the statin Lipitor (prescribed for both sexes) involved 16,066 patients!
Biomedical scientists and researchers have preferred studying male subjects for a number of reasons including:
- The outdated belief that women were just little men and that the only difference was in reproductive organs;
- Perceived costs and complexity of recruitment and inclusion of women in clinical trials;
- The desire both to protect a woman’s potential fetus (regardless of whether she is pregnant, uses contraceptives, or intendsto conceive) and to avoid legal liability from prenatal exposure.
- The potentially confounding effects of women’s hormonal changes.
Clearly, a drug that is taken daily by millions of women-such as Yasmin and Yaz-needs more exhaustive clinical trials. Perhaps the (predominantly male) researchers are biased: they won’t ever take a birth control pill but they might use Viagra or a cholesterol-lowering drug like Lipitor or Crestor, the most widely prescribed medications in the world.
In the recently published book The Push to Prescribe, the authors make it clear that the under-representation–or even complete lack–of women in pharmaceutical research is one reason why women should research a drug such as Yasmin beforehand, even though they trust their doctors.
“Women are at the brunt of bad prescribing practices,” says Alan Cassels, a drug policy researcher. “Historically, it goes back to the birth control pill…Women are the leading consumers of health products, not just for themselves but for their husbands and kids as well.”
The Push to Prescribe also points out that adverse reactions to drugs are a major issue of particular interest to women. The number of people exposed to drugs is much more once it has been approved, meaning that experiences other than those observed in clinical trials are likely to occur after a drug is on the market.
5 Lawyer Quotes we loved from 2009
December 27th, 2009. By AbiK
Memorable, thought-provoking, grounded in principle—and one that capped off an emotional trial in New Orleans and marked a victory long overdue—the following are some quotes from attorneys we interviewed in 2009…(in no particular order)…
1. Ron Goldman, Baum, Hedlund Aristei & Goldman:
“The ultimate objective of every member of the plaintiff’s aviation bar that I know who regularly handles aviation cases, is to reveal the dangers in aircraft and in the aviation system to enhance the safety of aviation,” Goldman says. “That’s our major objective. It’s not just about getting an award for the plaintiffs, it’s about making aviation safer.”
2. Michael Levine: RappaportGlassGreen & Levine: 
“I always tell my clients, just tell it like it is,” says Levine. “I have told my clients two and a half million times that there is no substitute for the truth. The truth never hurts you.”
3. Andrew Stoltmann, Stoltmann Law Offices:
On stockbrokers who pilfer money from their clients…when it comes to arguing his case to recover money, Stoltmann says he goes down his four-letter checklist (aka “SCUM”):
S – was the investment suitable for the client given their age and risk tolerance
C – was the investor’s account churned or repeatedly rolled over in order to earn fees for the broker
U – were the trades and changes in the account unauthorized
M – were the risks and type of investment misrepresented to the client
On the stockbrokers themselves: “How can they sleep at night?” says Stoltmann. “They sleep very nicely in their mansions.”
4. Joseph M. Bruno, the Law Office of Joseph M. Bruno:
On the federal court ruling that the Army Corp of Engineers which built the canal linking New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico, was to blame for the catastrophic flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina…
“The people of New Orleans are vindicated,” said Bruno before a throng of media representatives. “They (the Army Corps of Engineers) can no longer hide behind an immunity. It is time for the people of this city to be compensated.”
5. Norah Hart, Treuhaft & Zakarin:
On the high percentage of Match.com profiles that were allegedly still shown as “reachable” even though the profiles did not belong to active subscribers…
“A simple analogy is—I sell you a six pack of ginger ale and two of the cans are empty,” says Hart. “If I sold you six cans and you believe that all six are the same, but they are not. Four of them are what you are looking for and two of them are empty—now how do you feel about that?”
Legalese & Legal-speak: 10 for 2010
December 23rd, 2009. By Kristine B
With 2009 about to come to a close, it’s a good time to take a little breather and take a look at some of the words or phrases you often hear in relation to a lawsuit—but might not know what they mean. They tend to get glossed over as if everyone out there took Latin for 6 years and loves to speak in legalese. So as we get ready to kick off 2010, here’s 10 for ’10…ten common legal terms you oughta know for 2010 and beyond…in plain English…
Damages 
Most of us are used to thinking of “damage” as what happens after a tornado (or a couple of five year olds on M&M’s) hits town. But the weird thing about “damages” from a legal perspective is that it’s the AWARD that comes after the mess—and the lawsuit. Damages simply refers to money awarded as compensation for a legal wrong. Damages are either compensatory or punitive. Say what? It’s like Pandora’s box…keep reading…
Compensatory Damages
Compensatory damages are awarded to compensate (so that’s where it comes from) the wronged party for money lost, expenses or pain and suffering due to a legal wrong committed by another party. Compensatory damages can include medical expenses, lost wages, loss of future earnings, property damage and pain and suffering. Compensatory = Compensation (well, Read the rest of this entry »
Asbestos News Roundup: 12.22.09
December 22nd, 2009. By LucyC
A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of.
Asbestos Lawsuits
Charleston, WV: An asbestos lawsuit has been filed by Arnold Glenn Treadaway, who named 45 defendant companies in his complaint. Mr. Treadaway alleges that he was exposed to asbestos products of the defendants while working at various job sites over many years. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma on October 16. According to his suit, Treadaway alleges that the defendants were negligent, ran contaminated buildings, and breached their expressed/implied warranty, among other related charges. (WV Record.com )
Asbestos In Schools
Worcester, MA: Martha M. Coakley, the Massachusetts Attorney General, has reached an agreement with the city of Worcester, over charges leveled against pubic school officials in 2007. The school officials were accused of improper handling and disposal of aging asbestos floor tiles from the Vernon Hill School Read the rest of this entry »
Hospital Parting Gifts? MRSA and a $60k tab…
December 21st, 2009. By AbiK
A lot of websites have an “editorial calendar” that they try to stick to. But when you’re site also relies on the news-of-the-minute, well, coincidences occur—and one just happened at LawyersAndSettlements.com. Earlier today, we published an interv
iew Jane did with an MRSA victim, David. No sooner had I read the interview, and right there in my inbox were the results of a study on post-surgery MRSA infection and its associated costs. (And David may have gotten off cheap, believe it or not).
It seems, according to the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE, Duke University Medical Center conducted a study that examined the 90-day post-operative outcomes of 659 patients whose incisions had either become infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or with methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). Some of the 659 patients had no infection.
Here’s what they found… Read the rest of this entry »
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