August 24th, 2009
A man has been awarded £28,000 in compensation after taking part in a drug trial that almost killed him.
Leslie Thomas from Ely was invited to test Vioxx by his doctor in 2003 after trials suggested that it could be a viable cure for prostate cancer, the Ely Standard reports.
However, weeks after first taking the drug, Mr Thomas was suffering from severe diarrhea and had a temperature of over 100 degrees F.
Six months after beginning the trial, he was taken to hospital where he was put on a drip and treated for septiceamia.
After being left with an incurable disease called ulcerative colitis, Mr Thomas decided to take legal action against Merck Sharpe and Dohme.
After initially offering only £2,000 for his ordeal, the company has now agreed to a payout of £28,000.
"£28,000 is not much for what we went through, but at least we won … £2,000 was an insult," Mr Thomas commented.
Earlier this month, experts warned that GlaxoSmithKline could be facing millions of pounds in compensation claims after it was found that the antidepressant Seroxat could cause birth defects.
Tags: Birth Defects, Compensation Claims, Diarrhea, Drip, Ely, Glaxosmithkline, Incurable Disease, Insult, Leslie Thomas, Merck, Merck Sharpe And Dohme, Mr Thomas, Ordeal, Prostate Cancer, Quot, Seroxat, Six Months, Ulcerative Colitis, Vioxx
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August 13th, 2009
GlaxoSmithKline could face dozens of clinical negligence claims amid fears that one of its drugs causes birth defects.
A number of cases are currently being heard in the US which claim that women who took Seroxat went on to have children with birth defects.
Although GlaxoSmithKline began to issue warnings with the antidepressant in 2005, it is alleged that the pharmaceutical company knew about the potential problems long before and did nothing.
If this is found to be the case, it could open the floodgates for similar compensation claims in the UK.
A spokesperson for GlaxoSmithKline denied the allegations, commenting: "Tragically, birth defects can occur whether or not the mother was taking medication during pregnancy."
Anyone who suffers as a result of prescribed drugs may be able to claim compensation if it can be proven that the medication caused injury or illness and should seek the advice of a solicitor.
Tags: Allegations, Antidepressant, Birth Defects, Clinical Negligence Claims, Compensation Claims, Dozens, Face, Fears, Floodgates, Glaxosmithkline, Medication, Pharmaceutical Company, Pregnancy, Prescribed Drugs, Solicitor, Spokesperson
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August 5th, 2008
A mother from Stonehaven, a town situated on the north-east coast of Scotland, has vowed to take a legal claim to the European court of human rights.
Wendy Stephen alleges that the MMR vaccine triggered health problems experienced by her daughter Katie.
Now 17, the youngster became ill and suffered a fever after she was given an early form of the vaccine as a toddler, the Press and Journal reports.
She is now deaf in her left ear and her family claims this is a result of being administered the substance.
Legal action was initially launched in 2001 against GlaxoSmithKline. However, Ms Stephen was refused legal aid on the grounds that not enough children had been affected by the vaccine, which was withdrawn from use in 1992.
She commented: "My next step is the European court of human rights and I will continue to fight like fury for my daughter, even if it means going to Strasbourg."
Meanwhile, a GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman refused to make comment on the case.
Tags: Daughter Katie, European Court Of Human Rights, Fever, Glaxosmithkline, Health Problems, Left Ear, Legal Aid, Legal Claim, Medical Claim, Mmr Vaccine, North East Coast, Scotland, Spokeswoman, Strasbourg, Wendy Stephen, Youngster
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