Wednesday, March 05, 2003

Congress Trying to Limit Asbestos Cases.  On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony from lawyers, lawmakers, and victims regarding how to handle the more than 600,000 asbestos lawsuits and economic fallout that led to more than sixty bankruptcies since 2000 and a loss of approximately 60,000 jobs.  Senator Don Nickles (R) of Oklahoma seeks legislation requiring claimants to meet certain criteria using American  Medical Association guidelines and removing the statute of limitations so that those who do not have asbestos-related illnesses can retain their rights in the event that they do in the future.  As reported by Associated Press on findlaw.com. 9:34:11 PM     New York County Bans Sale of Ephedra.  The sale of all dietary supplements containing ephedra was banned on Wednesday in Suffolk County, New York under legislation considered to be the first of its kind.  As reported by Associated Press on Findlaw.com 9:24:41 PM     The Latest from Corpus.  According to The Associated Press, internal documents and emails released by the plaintiff's lawyers show Bayer executives discussing the possible dangers of Baycol long before it pulled the controversial drug from the market in 2001 after being linked to dozens of deaths.  Bayer's attorney, Phillip Beck, said the emails were taken out of context.  Bayer claims that there are approximately 7,800 lawsuits pending from former Baycol users.  Approximately 450 cases have been settled for $125 million.  Bayer is allegedly in negotiations to settle another 500 cases.  Mr. Beck reportedly said that "the company is taking responsibility for the drug and would rather compensate victims than fight them in court."  As reported in the Houston Chronicle. 8:45:35 PM     FDA Recommends Warning for Arthritis Drug.  On Tuesday, an FDA advisory panel recommended that manufacturers of three biotech drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis warn patients about a possible link to incurable lymph cancer.  As reported in The Chicago Tribune. 8:23:24 PM

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