Posted by SLS on May 30, 2009, at 6:16:02
In reply to Re: Are the drugs that we're taking killing us? » Neal, posted by jane d on May 29, 2009, at 23:39:59
> > i didn't read all the replies but; where are the million-dollar payouts we should be reading about in the newspapers?
> >
> > in this litigious society, if there was one iota of evidence of someone's dying from ADs, it would be broadcast from coast-to-coast in 2 seconds, followed by thousands of lawsuits filed the next day.
>
> Not true! But if you'd like this to be true bug your legislator to outlaw "gag agreements" in court settlements as being against the public interest. Right now you just can't tell whether or not there are big payoffs being made to keep complaints quiet in all sorts of industries. It's become standard to pay off plaintiffs providing they agree never to disclose the amount of settlement or even that they had a complaint in the first place. Good for the plaintiff, good for the offending company, but definately bad for all the rest of us. And an abuse of the court systems we all pay for.You are right about the way our litigation system can work.
Slightly off topic:
It is unfortunate that the medical and pharmaceutical investigative systems, as they have been, are riddled with conflicts of interest. However, a conflict of interest does not de facto indicate conspiracy or a breach of morals. It does not indicate that people are lying and covering things up. It does not indicate that the results of investigations of the objects of study are invalid. It is only recently that it is being questioned that there might be a breach of ethics. It is very disappointing to learn about these financial arrangements that are conflicts of interest and give the impression of wrong-doing.
I would add that most of the medical people made visible by the media to establish a case for investigative inpropriety are, in fact, our most important contributors. These are the people whom are most likely to get us well.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:898245
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090524/msgs/898446.html