Tuesday, March 11, 2003

Ephedra Under Fire in California.  On Monday, eight Northern California county district attorneys and a city attorney of San Diego filed a civil lawsuit against Cytodyne Technologies Inc. and its corporate officer, Robert Chinery.  The suit accuses them of unfair business practices and making misleading statements about the effectiveness of the dietary supplement, Xenadrine, which contains ephedra.  The suit seeks to end deceptive advertising and asks for civil penalties.  As reported by Reuters on findlaw.com. 10:11:52 PM     Pfizer Close to Settling Suit Over Neurontin.  Pfizer is close to settling a whistleblower lawsuit brought by Dr. David Franklin, a medical liaison hired by Warner-Lambert, a company that it acquired in 2000.  In the suit, Dr. Franklin alleged that the company illegally marketed Neurontin, an epilepsy drug, for uses for which it was not approved.  As reported in The New York Times. 9:50:06 PM     Highly Questionable Practices.  Joseph F. Rice, a well-known class action lawyer, has agreed to accept a $20 million "fee" from the parent of a company that he is suing on behalf of workers exposed to asbestos. This "fee" will be in addition to the fee that he collects from his clients for settling their claims against the same company.  In other words, he is being paid by the plaintiffs, whom he represents, and the defendants, whom he is suing.  Hmmm.  Mr. Rice is reportedly being paid this "fee" to broker settlements with other lawyers handling asbestos claims against the company.  As reported in The New York Times. 9:28:44 PM     If it Sounds Too Good to be True. . .  Rexall Sundown, Inc agreed to repay consumers up to $12 million to settle charges of deceptive advertising by the Federal Trade Commission.  The company claimed that its dietary supplement, Cellasene, could erase your cellulite and give you "smoother-feeling legs and a firmer-looking appearance of your skin after just eight weeks."  The settlement will become final upon approval by a federal judge in Miami and completion of class action lawsuits in California and Florida.  As reported by The Associated Press in The Washington Post. 8:59:16 PM

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