According to the Washington Post:

Officials in Nigeria have brought criminal charges against the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for the company’s alleged role in the deaths of children who received an unapproved drug during a meningitis epidemic. 

The government alleges that Pfizer researchers selected 200 children and infants from crowds at a makeshift epidemic camp in Kano, and gave about half the group an untested antibiotic called Trovan.  Researchers gave the other children what the lawsuit describes as a “dangerously low dose” of a comparison drug made by Hoffmann-La Roche.

Nigerian officials allege that Pfizer’s actions resulted in the deaths of an unspecified number of children, and left others deaf, paralyzed, blind, or brain-damaged.  Further, the lawsuit contends that the researchers did not obtain consent from the childrens’ families, and that the researchers knew Trovan to be an experimental drug with life-threatening side effects that made the drug “unfit for human use.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never approved Trovan for use in treating American children.  In 1997, it was cleared for use in adults, however, it has been associated with reports of liver damage and deaths, leading the FDA to restrict its use in 1999.  Although it remains available in the U.S., European regulators have banned Trovan.

I wonder how do these people sleep at nite after harming innocent children?  I bet the lobbyists in Congress for Pfizer never bring this topic up…but would they allow Pfizer to inject their own children like those in Nigeria?       

Seems that the Tort Reformers suddenly believe in the right to file a lawsuit when it is regarding their own injury…..when they are the victims….

It brings to mind the word “hypocritical.”  Hypocritical to criticize the judicial system and those who, as victims, file lawsuits with merit, and then to turn around and file a lawsuit yourself.  Maybe it is do as I say, and not as I do time?  

Lawsuit Happy Tort Reformers?  Who knew?

Senator Trent Lott’s insurance was denied when his home was destroyed by hurricane Katrina, and so the Senator filed suit.  By filing suit the Senator was able to settle his lawsuit against State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. for refusing to cover the Katrina damage to his Gulf Coast home.  In the past this Senator has publicly called for limits on lawsuits; perhaps his own experience has changed him?

U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Hudson Institute fellow, and very big Tort Reformer Proponent, Robert Bork, has filed his own civil slip-&-fall lawsuit against the Yale Club, and is seeking $1 million in damages for injuries that he sustained from a fall at Yale last year, and interestingly enough, this tort reform advocate actually wants punitive damages! 

As the New York Times stated so eloquently in an article:

     “Since we believe in the tort system, when properly used, all we would ask is whether Mr. Bork’s unfortunate experience at the Yale Club has led him to re-evaluate any of the harsh things he has said in the past about injured people, much like himself, who simply wanted their day in Court.”

Mesotheliona Symptoms and Diagnosis

Mesothelioma Symptoms The most common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are difficulty in breathing, chest pain, or both. Occasionally, a patient may not have mesothelioma symptoms at diagnosis. Other less common symptoms include weight loss, fever, night sweats, cough, and a general feeling of not being well. Mesothelioma symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include swelling, pain due to accumulation of fluid in the abdomen cavity, weight loss, and a mass in the abdomen. Other mesothelioma symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia (a lowered red blood cell count), and fever.

Mesothelioma Diagnosis It can be difficult to diagnose mesothelioma because many of the mesothelioma symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions, including lung cancer and other types of cancers. At the time of diagnosis, your doctor will first do a physical examination and complete a medical history, including asking about the possibility of prior exposure to asbestos.

Although there is no early detection test for mesothelioma, there are several tests that can be used to help in making the diagnosis of mesothelioma, including a chest x-ray, a CT scan, or an MRI scan. A chest x-ray yields an image of the lungs that will show many types of abnormal changes. A CT scan (computed tomography) is a type of x-ray, but it uses a computer rather than film to create detailed images.

An MRI scan (magnetic resonance imaging) uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer but does not utilize radiation to create a clear image. These tests help your doctor differentiate mesothelioma from other lung tumors as well as determine where the tumor is and its size.

Your doctor may need to remove a tissue sample from the tumor (a biopsy) or draw fluid (aspirate) from it to confirm it to confirm the diagnosis. This can be done in several ways.

The simplest way to obtain tissue samples involving making a small incision and placing a flexible tube in the area of the tumor. This is called a thoracoscopy if it is done in the chest area. A laparoscopy is the same procedure, but done in the abdominal cavity. A tube that is that is attached to a video camera is placed so that the doctor can look inside the body. A tissue sample may be taken at the same time. Sometimes, however, a more extensive surgical procedure may be advisable. A thoracotomy can be done to open the chest to take a tissue sample and, if feasible, to remove most or all of the visible tumor. If this procedure is done in the abdominal cavity, it is called a laparotomy.

At other times, a mediastinoscopy may be done in which a very small incision is made just above the sternum (breast bone) and a tube inserted just behind the breast bone. This lets the doctors look at lymph nodes. This are small, bean-shaped structures that are an important part of the body’s immune system, and they contain cells that help your body fight infection as well as cancer. This test will give the doctor more information on the type of cancer and whether it has spread to other areas. The tissue samples taken in these procedures are analyzed by looking at them under a microscope in order to determine whether the tumor is a mesothelioma or some other type of cancer.

Please seek medical evaluation if you believe that you or a loved one has mesothelioma.