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Death By Mistake Series, Hearst Newspapers, August 2009
August 11, 2009

Insurance companies would have us all believe that there is a crisis in medical malpractice lawsuits. They're right - nearly 100,000 people die every year from preventable medical malpractice, according to the National Institutes of Medicine, an arm of the National Institutes of Health. And that's just the first tragedy for most of the affected families. The second tragedy happens when they end up in the court system, seeking some justice for their losses.

The series of articles from Hearst Newspapers gives just a few of the 98,000 stories. LINKS. People paralyzed by medical negligence, who recieve virtually no compensation because of limits on their cases. People who are killed from medical negligence, who's families never recover from the financial devestation caused by the negligence. And the tragedies are nationwide.

With the debate on national health care reform, and the insurance companies calling for further limitations on medical negligence cases, these stories are a dire reminder of the need for fair, impartial and full justice in the event of a tragedy. The victims of negligence should not be victimized again in the courtroom just so that the corporate giants and insurance companies can make billions of extra dollars.

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Ghostwriting by drug company pollutes the medical science
August 05, 2009

A frightening set of facts is beginning to surface out from under the veil of confidentiality in a courtroom in Little Rock, Arkansas. Wyeth is a drug company that makes different pharmaceutical drugs, and one of it's best selling drugs over the years was Premarin - a hormone given to millions and millions of women when they reached menopausal age. The idea behind the drug was to ease the symptoms of menopause, and many other benefits that were described in different medical journals.

It turns out, many of those journal articles were actually written by Wyeth - but published under someone else's name. The article from the New York Times tells just the first little bit of the story.

Wyeth's marketing machinery would concoct a theme for an article, and then would hire an outside ghostwriting company to put together the article. The ghostwriting company then shops the "article" around to find a doctor who'll allow their name to be used on the article. And then, the article makes it's way into the literature and is touted as "proof of the benefits" of the drug Premarin. Yet the article never mentions that the idea and the actual writing of the article began with Wyeth itself.

The tip of the iceberg is described by the times. And Wyeth is not alone in the world of ghostwriting - Merck was found to be doing a similar thing in their drug Vioxx. Patients shouldn't be subjected to this pollution of the medical science. And doctors should be hypervigilant in their review of the literature - knowing full well that a frightening amount of current "science" isn't truly accurate, having been cooked up by a drug company trying to sell more drugs.

Miller, Curtis and Weisbrod, LLP is a national lawfirm with principal offices in Dallas, Texas. We have dedicated our firm to representing people and families who have suffered injuries and losses due to the negligence of others. We help victims of trucking accidents, construction site accidents, medical negligence, dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, and other reckless conduct. Please visit our website at http://www.MCWLawFirm.com for more information concerning our firm and how we might be able to help.

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White Coat Conspiracy
August 03, 2009

There has always been a "white coat conspiracy" - doctors sticking up for doctors, helping to hide information and not telling the patients the whole truth. Understandably, the patient is the one who suffers. Not just suffering from the needless injury or death, but also from never being sure they know the whole and true story.

In an amazing example of that, just read an editorial LINK about the criminal prosecution of two nurses who had the courage to speak out. They had a physician practicing questionable medicine. They aired their complaints internally - as they were required to do in an effort to get the patients some protection from the questionable medical practices. Those complaints were ignored. They raised their complaints to a higher level within the hospital, and again were ignored. So they took their concerns to the highest level in Texas - the state Board of Medicine, where licenses are issued and grievances are supposed to be considered and investigated.

Instead, the NURSES have now been charged with a crime.

They should be given a medal for their courage and tenacity and willingness to go the extra mile for their patients. And unfortunately, the white coat conspiracy lives on.

Miller, Curtis and Weisbrod, LLP is a national lawfirm with principal offices in Dallas, Texas. We have dedicated our firm to representing people and families who have suffered injuries and losses due to the negligence of others. We help victims of trucking accidents, construction site accidents, medical negligence, dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, and other reckless conduct. Please visit our website at www.MCWLawfirm.com for more information concerning our firm and how we might be able to help.

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