A sarcastic big thank you to the trial attorneys!

Yesterday the FDA asked Novartis to remove a drug, Zelnorm, from the market. Novartis, the makers of Zelnorm complied. I have helped scores of people with this agent and with no real harm to any!

Well, a look back at the original data showed 7 adverse cardiovascular events out of roughly 11,000 who took drug and 1 adverse cardiovascular event out of 7,000 who took placebo. Therefore, since this is statistically significant--since the trial lawyers made such a harang out of other minimal risks, no one will go out on a limb even a bit. Zelnorm is gone--at least for now and probably only to be rereleased with a major ordeal to prescribe. Asprin is not as safe as Zelnorm, cars are certainly not as safe as Zelnorm but Zelnorm represented by a single identifiable plaintiff must go!

Folks, the incidence of cardiovascular bad events with Zelnorm is historically what would be expected. The placebo arm had an unexpectedly low incidence of badness. What this really proves as much as Zelnorm is harmful is that the sugar pill used as a placebo is beneficial in preventing cardiac events. This is a meaningless statical aberation.

I now will receive countless call from people who were ALL better who are again miserable. These people are suffering and will have to suffer again all becuase of some statistical noise and the abuses of some within our legal community. Folks, there is no real good substitute for Zelnorm.

Thanks for letting me vent!

I'm totally unfamiliar with this story, but I'm having a little trouble understanding the post. If the FDA--a government agency controlled by the pro-business Bush administration--asked the company to pull the product, what do "the trial attorneys" have to do with it?

The trial attorneys made it look like everything is a major coverup with the whole Vioxx thing. The FDA took a real hit with the whole thing--jobs lost etc. So present FDA employees are running scared. There may have been some bad to the way Vioxx was handled but it is hardly a killer drug causing people to drop like flies. Still, the FDA and the drug industry have become so fearful of the litigation industry that any bad news no matter how slight is going to produce this type of overreaction.

Again, there are more deaths from acetaminophen, ibuprofen, scores of generics, aspirin than ever could be imagined from Zelnorm--but why are these drugs allowed to continue--No single identifiable deep pocket, like Novartis/Merck/Corning to fuel you know who.

P.S. just googled Zelnorm and lawyer. Their lining up for what almost certainly will prove to be meaningless! Still if there's money to be made.

I couldn't agree with you more about Vioxx, and I have no reason (or ability) to question what you're saying about Zelnorm. I also share your dislike for attorneys who try to get rich off of meritless suits that harm the public in the long run by depriving the rest of us of beneficial medicines, recreational facilities, etc. The legal profession is doing a terrible job of preventing this.

But "trial lawyers" also put criminals in jail, keep innocent people out of jail, help real victims of negligence get enough money to pay for their wheelchairs, and defend doctors from malpractice suits.

I hope that your explanation of what is motivating the FDA officials is wrong. No government agency should be run that way.

jazzman said:

If the FDA--a government agency controlled by the pro-business Bush administration--asked the company to pull the product, what do "the trial attorneys" have to do with it?

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Oh for the love of god. Give the Bush bashing crap a break. Do you really believe that he has a hand in everything? John Edwards, an ambulance chasing trial attorney and the like, are the ones at fault here.

MJB,

I agree with you on this. My father is getting arthritis pretty bad now and about the only thing he can take is motrin. It just does not cut it.

AandW said:

Oh for the love of god. Give the Bush bashing crap a break. Do you really believe that he has a hand in everything? John Edwards, an ambulance chasing trial attorney and the like, are the ones at fault here.

MJB,

I agree with you on this. My father is getting arthritis pretty bad now and about the only thing he can take is motrin. It just does not cut it.

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Do you really think that the Bush administration is appointing anti-business, pro-lawsuit officials to run the FDA or any other agency? I simply questioned what "trial lawyers" had to do with an official action of an executive branch agency run by people appointed by Bush, and I also made it as clear as I could that I agreed with the original post regarding Vioxx. What's the problem? Why the hostility?

Trial Lawyers are nothing but "Parasitic Slime Balls" who have cost this country hundreds of thousands of jobs; bankrupted companies all while couched behind them being the "good guys" just standing up to Big Bad Business for the little guys. They are a major bankroller of the Democratic Party.

You can't get through the Sunday newspaper magazine without seeing a couple of notices about "your rights" on some nonsensical issue.

Meanwhile, the corporations are extorted into a settlement, of which most goes to the "parasites" with the "affected parties" receiving some kind of worthless coupon. In the long run, we now all pay more.

It didn't take long for some slime in Chicago to jump on the tainted pet food issue and try to be the first to file for "class action".

Under the Democrats, it will only get worse.

AandW said:

Give the Bush bashing crap a break. Do you really believe that he has a hand in everything?

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Actually, no. But he does get a daily briefing on what his people are doing. And how many folks who decry Bush bashing were doing their share of Clinton bashing during the 90s?
We are performing a public service when we respectfully hold our politicians to account. I don't care for name-calling, but we have the right to criticize our elected officials, a right that is not taken for granted in many, if not most, other countries.

I believe George Orwell made this point in Animal Farm.

Norm

I knew the FDA was a bad then whey they took Coke out of Coke.

What were we doing before drugs, dying. What were we doing on drugs, dying.

So we are all going to die, Enjoy Coke!

tim8557 said:

Trial Lawyers are nothing but "Parasitic Slime Balls"

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+1

MJB... I feel your pain. Things like this stifle innovation and progress, and although I sometimes have my qualms towards big pharma for other reasons, based on what I know about this particular case it seems that the Norvartis folks were correct in their original trial data and the risk is now being greatly overblown. Truly a sad situation for those that are presently benefiting from the drug.

As for the political points, Bush has no part in this. The FDA has been following these same procedures for decades. Neither did John Edwards. And we all know there's no Republican trial lawyers out there (sarcasm). Its about an unscrupulous fraction of a profession systematically taking advantage of a system that rewards a victim's mentality and fancy rhetoric rather than common sense.

tim8557 said:

Trial Lawyers are nothing but "Parasitic Slime Balls" who have cost this country hundreds of thousands of jobs; bankrupted companies all while couched behind them being the "good guys" just standing up to Big Bad Business for the little guys. They are a major bankroller of the Democratic Party.

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Not a big fan of the litigation industry myself, but I have to object a bit here. It's not the trial lawyers who initiate cases. It's either the companies themselves, the government, or a private person, etc. The trial lawyers only represent those who are the real Slime Balls.

mozart said:

Not a big fan of the litigation industry myself, but I have to object a bit here. It's not the trial lawyers who initiate cases. It's either the companies themselves, the government, or a private person, etc. The trial lawyers only represent those who are the real Slime Balls.

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Very often Trial Lawyers initiate cases, approach prespective clients, and contact the media. Not the other way around.

TimmyBoston said:

Very often Trial Lawyers initiate cases, approach prespective clients, and contact the media. Not the other way around.

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That might be true for lawyers chasing ambulances, but not for big-business-litigation like the one the original poster described. What really ruins these businesses is the environment that allows trial lawyers to squeeze out that much money. What's needed is a change in litigation and patent laws, then the "Slime Ball" trial lawyers will automatically go away. Other countries don't have this kind of problem that the US has. Best - MM

In some cases Trial lawyers have clinical and research data reviewed by researchers and then decide what cases should be pursued.

Be it as it may. I bet that most (if not all) people who complain about litigation lawyers would be very happy to be represented by them if necessary, for example when poisened dog food killed their prize schnauzer or a child seat mulfunctioned. Best - MM

Nobody's saying that lawyers aren't necessary. It's just that we produce so damn many of them that they have to go around scrounging up work.

Had there been a 'black box' warning about Zelnorm prior to it's being pulled? As a physician if you and other physicians treating patients sucessfully with Zelnorm, and patients themselves; pound Dr. Elias Zerhouni's (NIH) fax hard and relentless with enough detailed letters, supporting abstracts and study data; the drug may be re-evaluated. Although not to battle a legal decision, I have participated in such a campaign to nudge FDA successfully. It took over a year but was worth the effort. Little mice can sometimes roar.
Sue

Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer.

mozart said:

What's needed is a change in litigation and patent laws, then the "Slime Ball" trial lawyers will automatically go away. Other countries don't have this kind of problem that the US has. Best - MM

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I think the US desperately needs Loser Pays