Lawmakers try to make it harder for consumers to sue drug giants

Well…it already seems not ALL 50 states are ready to take a shot at GlaxoSmithKline’s bank account over the Avandia deception.

Just over the South Carolina state line, North Carolina legislators seem to be best buddies with drug company execs. The lawmakers recently took steps to make it HARDER for consumers to sue drug companies.

Oh, Carolinas, you share a football team. Can’t you get on the same page when it comes to protecting consumers from dangerous drugs?

As originally introduced, the bill would have protected drug companies from liability lawsuits if the drug in question was approved by the FDA, and if no fraud or bribery could be proven.

Eventually the language of the bill was softened to allow lawsuits against drugs that can be proven unsafe or ineffective.

Well that’s MUCH better! Unsafe or ineffective? That should be Avandia right at the top of the list. In fact, that might actually describe about 80 percent of the drugs approved by the FDA!

Source:
“N.C. House Oks Bill to Rein in Lawsuits” Raleigh News & Observer, 6/2/11, pharmalive.com