The BBC is reporting that the British Medical Journal Lancet has issued a full retraction of the notorious 1998 article that claimed there was an increased risk of autism associated with use of the MMR vaccine. Among the grounds for the retraction: the lead author “was in the pay of solicitors who were acting for parents who believed their children had been harmed by MMR” and that author “was ruled last week to have broken research rules.”
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We tried to think of a great issue to explore today – and struck out. So instead we’ll discuss this and that – various things that we’re aware of, but that we haven’t gotten around to mentioning.

Pigs Get Fat, Mississippi Got Slaughtered

The top of the agenda, of course, is a review of Judge Weinstein’s Zyprexa decision that we threw up a post about the other day (so we could (more…)

Yesterday we mentioned that Merck had won summary judgment in a consumer protection-type suit brought by the Texas Attorney General concerning Vioxx. We hoped for an “interesting opinion.” Well, check that. We’ve now seen the order – and that’s all there is (at least for now) – an order. Here it is, but it doesn’t say much beyond the relief granted.

We couldn’t have done much with it any way, given Bexis’ involvement in (other) Vioxx (more…)

We aren’t the first to note the latest class action denial in the prescription medical product liability field, In re Panacryl Sutures Products Liability Cases, No. 5:08-MD-1959-BO, slip op. (E.D.N.C. Nov. 13, 2009). 360 (subscription only) beat us to the punch the other day. But just because we aren’t first, doesn’t mean there’s nothing in Panacryl worth blogging about.

We view decisions (more…)

One more Boston Hospital steps in to help with medical records that were slated to be destroyed.  The moving and storage company
pleaded with the State to take the records, but they told the owner they did not have the authority or space? 
A lot of help they were, so even the government agencies didn’t even care, so nice move on the part of the
hospital, that had to go and get a court order to step in and help
patients.  Again, nice (more…)