A Guidant Corporationconsultant told the medical device company that it had an ethical obligation to inform doctors of defects in its defibrillator device. Dr. Richard N. Fogoros, also told company executives that their decision to withhold such data, while statistically defensible, was questionable. In one of two lengthy memos to Guidant executives, Fogoros wrote that the company violated a “sacred obligation” it had to doctors by interposing its medical judgment for theirs. He also noted that Guidant had a clear conflict of interest that would naturally lead it to disclose product failures only when “absolutely necessary.”
All posts by Joseph H. Saunders
CA Judge Denies Taser’s Motion to Dismiss
A California judge has dismissed Taser International’s Motion to Dismiss in a lawsuit arising from a 2004 death of a Monterey CA man who had been tasered. Taser International, Inc., asked the district court to dismiss the claims of the Rosa family, contending that (1) Michael Rosa’s death was not reasonably foreseeable, (2) its product is not inherently dangerous, and (3) it had no duty to warn of the dangers of its product.
In denying Taser International’s Motion to Dismiss, Judge Fogel ruled that Taser has a duty to design and manufacture its products to avoid foreseeable dangers arising from their use, and to warn its customers and users of any foreseeable dangers that could arise when people such as Michael Rosa are shocked repeatedly and then subjected to aggressive restraint procedures. Taser International has been ordered to respond to plaintiffs’ complaint.
FDA Panel Recommends Tysabri
An FDA panel has recommended that the risky and controversial MS drug Tysabri be returned to the market. The panel argued that the decision to use the drug should be made by the doctor and the patient, in spite of evidence that the drug causes a deadly brain disease. If the FDA accepts the panel’s recommendation, it would be only the second time a drug was returned to the market after having been removed for safety reasons.
Taser in Texas
There’s an excellent feature article published in the Fort Worth weekly concerning the controversial Taser stun gun. The article recounts the instances in which a Taser is used. One of the most compelling aspects of the article is the individual accounts of the circumstances in which people have been Tasered. This allegedly non-lethal stun gun has been used in non-violent situations such as when a 66 year old grandmother was honking her horn trying to park her car. By the way, she was in her own driveway at the time she was tasered. In spite of these accounts, the majority of police departments and of course, Taser International continue to insist that the weapons are safe and should be used liberally-all evidence to the contrary.
Irish Priest Abuse Scandal
While the priest abuse scandal is nothing new in Ireland-it’s been a subject in the news for the last 20 years-the latest news from none other than the Archbishop of Dublin has startled some observers. The Arbishop’s report counts 120 priests as having sex abuse allegations made against them from 350 victims. With no end in sight, the Irish Church continues to lose credibility and influence in what was once known as a bastion of Catholicism.
Dublin Archbishop Releases Priest Abuse Data
Catholic Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has released information concerning the extent of priest sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Dublin. According to the Archbishop, 102 Catholic priests have been accused by 350 victims. Obviously, those are numbers of victims who have had the courage to come forward. God only knows how many still suffer in silence.
Ambien Sleep Driving
You’ve all seen the ads for the popular sleep aid Ambien. Yet, behind this popularity is a little known fact: the sudden rise in Ambien related impaired driver arrests. Some of those arrested state that they have no recollection of driving a vehicle prior to the arrest. In some state toxicology laboratories Ambien makes the top 10 list of drugs found in impaired drivers. And as a more people are taking the drug — 26.5 million prescriptions in this country last year — there are signs that Ambien-related driving arrests are on the rise.
Police Use Taser on Elderly Man in Wheelchair
Every day I read a new Taser story. Each day the story seems to get more outrageous. Today, the story’s about a Harris County (TX) sheriff’s deputy using a taser on an elderly man in a wheelchair! The deputy has been placed on administrative leave for improper use of the stun gun weapon. The 73 year old man was shot twice in the groin area by the deputy. At the time of the incident, 12 deputies had stormed the man’s house looking for his grandson.
Truth, Not Marketing, Goal of Scientific Research
According to Harold C. Sox, MD, scientific research should be directed at truth and objectivity rather than promoting the marketing initiatives of pharmaceutical companies. In an article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the doctor decries the use of fake scientific data to bolster sales of pharmaceutical drugs or medical devices. Sox further states that scientists have a duty not only to publish the truth but also to correct faulty data published in other journals.
Tasered Inmate Remains in Coma
A Tennessee man remains in a coma after being tasered while in custody for public intoxication. The FBI has begun an investigation into why the man lapsed into a coma after being tasered by a jail deputy. According to police, an M26 Taser was fired at the man after he became combative.