Doctors who had been heavily courted by Merck, the manufacturer of Vioxx, are now some of the drug’s most outspoken foes. In the ongoing Vioxx trial, doctors have come forward and testified that if they had been told of the potential risks the drug posed, they would never have prescribed the drug to their patients. One of the doctors, John Braun, took Vioxx for two years to treat neck pain, suffered a heart attack. Dr. Braun is now suing Merck. This is a classic man bites dog story and even more so considering it ran in the pro-pharmaceutical industry newspaper, the Wall St. Journal!
All posts by Joseph H. Saunders
Sex Abuse Claims Mount Against Louisiana Orphanage
Madonna Manor, a Catholic run home for poor and troubled children, has been rocked by 8 more lawsuits filed against the institution as a result of physical and sexual abuse of the children dating back to the 1950’s and 1960’s. Unlike other areas of the country, Madonna Manor has faced more sex abuse complaints than any other Catholic institution in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Study Finds Implanted Defibrillators May Help More Men than Women
Implanted devices designed to shock the heart into a normal rhythm may not be as effective in women as they are in men, researchers said on Monday.
Researchers at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and the University of Connecticut evaluated five previous trials of Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and found that ICDs cut the risk of death by 24 percent in men compared with 12 percent in women. ICDs are stopwatch-sized devices placed in the chest to regulate a dangerously fast heart beat with a jolt of electricity.
However, the researchers are not sure why the difference between men and women.
Guidant Issues New Implant Warning
According to a report published in the NY Times, Guidant Corporation has issued a warning to doctors about possible battery defects in two of its implantable defibrillator devices. The devices in question, the Contak Renewal 3 RF and Renewal 4 RF cardiac defibrillators, have not been implanted in any patients thus far. Guidant said the FDA may classify the warning as a product recall.
University Study Targets Taser Safety
Armed with a $650,000 grant from the Department of Justice, two University of South Carolina research professors will undertake a study of the controversial Taser stun gun. The study will focus on the weapon’s safety as well as its ability to reduce injuries to police officers and suspects.
Leaders of US Conference of Catholic Bishops Feel the Heat
Both the President and Vice President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops find themselves embroiled in the church’s sex abuse scandal. Vice President Francis Cardinal George has come under heavy fire for not removing an abusing priest when he learned of the abuse. President William Skylstad, Bishop of the beleaguered Spokane Diocese, has been accused of the sexual abuse of a woman 40 years ago. Skylstad has protested his innocence and George has apologized for not doing more to prevent abuse.
Both men have been asked to step down from their posts. Neither seem likely to do so, however.
Guidant Corp. Cited by Senate Committee
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) has introduced legislation that would toughen penalties for companies and their executives who sold products that cause injury or death. Presently, there are only civil penalties for such behavior. In announcing the legislation, Specter singled out Guidant Corp. and their defective defibrillators as an example of actions that would be targeted by the legislation.
Sex Abuse-Why in the Church?
I received a comment from another blogger about my post on the Irish Catholic Church abuse scandal. The person noted that people weren’t asking the right questions in order to find out why this happened and continues to happen.
Well, unfortunately, we can’t know the reasons until we get a look at the internal church documents. Until that time, we can only speculate about why this has occurred. Some blame celibacy, others the clerical culture. The truth is we really can’t do more than speculate unless we see what really happened. In order to do that, we need to look at the inner workings of the church. That’s what lawsuits can do. They can uncover the truth and expose it to the light of day. Hopefully, after such exposure, the evil of child abuse dies a quick death before victimizing anyone else!
Maryland Considers Helping Sex Abuse Victims
The Maryland Legislature is hearing public comments concerning two pending bills that would alter the present statute of limitations barring most sexual abuse victims from access to the courts and justice. One of the bills would open a two year window during which abuse victims could file a lawsuit against the perpetrator of the abuse.
The Catholic Church in Maryland strongly opposes such change to the present law. That should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed this tragedy since 2002.
Maryland Considering Opening Statute of Limitations on Sex Abuse
The Maryland House Judiciary Committee heard public comments on two bills that would alter the present statute of limitations laws concerning sexual abuse. One bill, sponsored by Pauline A. Menes, would allow victims to file a civil claim until they reached the age of 42. The other bill would open a two year window during which survivors of child sexual abuse could file lawsuits against the perpetrators.
Of course, the Maryland Catholic bishops oppose both bills.
I urge any survivors of sexual abuse, especially those abused in Maryland, to contact Maryland state legislators and ask them to give these bills a favorable hearing.