January 20th, 2009
A man who suffered serious side effects after testing a new drug has won a compensation battle with its manufacturers.
Leslie Thomas, 75, was left emaciated, dehydrated and with an irregular heartbeat after taking Vioxx, the Telegraph reports.
The drug was licensed in 1999 in the UK and marketed as a safer alternative to the older style non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, which could cause gastric bleeding, the Guardian attests.
However, it was withdrawn when studies from the US found it could double the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Although US victims had received billions of pounds in compensation, nobody in the UK had received a payout.
In a new development, Merck Sharp and Dohme have now dropped an appeal and have agreed to pay Mr Thomas £28,000 in an out-of-court settlement.
"I’m not happy with the sum of money but I’m thrilled at the principal. Now I’m hoping that my victory will enable others to take their case to court," he commented.
Merck Sharp and Dohme maintained that the case was unique and sets no precedent for other people affected.
Tags: Billions, Court Settlement, Drugs, Guardian, Heart Attacks, Irregular Heartbeat, Leslie Thomas, Merck, Merck Sharp And Dohme, Misery, Mr Thomas, Pensioner, People, Risk, Strokes, Sum Of Money, Telegraph, Victory, Vioxx
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
January 12th, 2009
Up to 1,000 miners are to take their claims for compensation to the high court in a bid to secure a payout for the injuries and conditions they now suffer.
The miners, who worked on the surface and are as such not eligible for compensation under the Coal Health Compensation Scheme, nevertheless suffer from knee problems and chronic lung disease from inhaling dust, the Guardian reports.
The government has contested the claims in court in Leeds, but the miners hope a hearing in London will rule in their favour.
John Mann, MP for Bassetlaw, said: "[The government] should create a simple non-legalistic scheme that would compensate miners with a modest amount of money for things like the breathing equipment they need."
According to number10.gov.uk, the government was paying out £2 million a day in compensation to miners affected by underground work in 2005.
They were required to take a simple breathing test to measure the loss of lung function and were entitled to payments of up to £12,900.
Tags: Amount Of Money, Bassetlaw, Breathing Test, Chronic Lung Disease, Coal, Compensation Claim, Compensation Scheme, Favour, Gov Uk, Guardian, Health, John Mann, Knee Problems, Leeds, Lung Function, Mp, Number10, Surface Miners, Underground Work
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
November 7th, 2008
A couple who claim two of their holidays were ruined by unclean hotel facilities are to launch legal action against the companies they say are responsible.
Gisella Crowley and Jeremy Lake went to the Taba Heights Hotel in Egypt with First Choice and Flights Limited last year.
However, upon their arrival, they both became ill with diarrhoea, fever, nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps and claim that unhygienic conditions in the restaurants were to blame, with food left out regularly, the Wandsworth Guardian reports.
Ms Crowley had to be hospitalised and placed on a drip after being diagnosed with shigella. The couple also had to be taken to hospital when they flew to Norway on the second leg of their trip straight afterwards.
"I feel cheated about my holiday. I have lost my annual leave and returned from the holiday, sick, stressed and depressed," she commented.
First Choice only offered compensation of £400 after the couple complained, but they were not satisfied and have decided to pursue legal action against the firm.
First Choice declined to provide comment.
British tourists who suffer from an accident, personal injury or food poisoning while on holiday can sue their tour operator provided that the holiday was a package which includes travel and accommodation.
Tags: Accommodation, British Tourists, Crowley, Diarrhoea, Drip, Egypt, Fever, First Choice, Food Poisoning, Guardian, Heights Hotel, Hotel Facilities, Launch, Nausea Vomiting, Norway, personal injury, Stomach Cramps, Taba Heights, Tour Operator
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
June 11th, 2008
A Warwickshire hospital has been named and shamed as having the highest number of deaths linked to the superbug Clostridium (C) difficile.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that between 2002 and 2006, a total of 235 people died as a result of infections related to the superbug at George Eliot hospital in Nuneaton, report the Guardian.
Over that period, there were 6,486 deaths related to C difficile, including 233 at Walsgrave hospital in Coventry, 203 at the Royal Infirmary in Leicester and 177 at Birmingham Heartlands hospital in the West Midlands.
Meanwhile, there were 94 deaths caused by MRSA at Derriford hospital in Plymouth.
Graham Turner of the National Concern for Healthcare Infections (NCHI) group said the figures had been underestimated by at least one third.
"It should be remembered that these figures are about real people and our sympathies go out to their families," he said.
NCHI was formed by a group of individuals in response to growing concerns about the safety of patients in UK hospital and the risks posed by healthcare associated infections.
Tags: Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Clostridium Difficile, Coventry, Deaths, George Eliot, George Eliot Hospital, Graham Turner, Guardian, Hospitals, Leicester, Mrsa, National Concern, Office Of National Statistics, Plymouth, Quot, Real People, Royal Infirmary, Sympathies, Warwickshire, West Midlands
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
