Pharmaceutical Animation Medical

Federal Appeals Court Upholds New Hampshire Law Prohibiting Sales Of Physicians' Prescribing Histories
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston on Tuesday upheld a New Hampshire law prohibiting the sale of information about physicians' prescribing practices for use in prescription drug marketing, the AP/Lexington Herald-Leader reports (Love, AP/Lexington Herald-Leader, 11/18).

NIMH Grant Awarded To Rutgers Center For Behavioral Health Services, Criminal Justice Research
Since its founding in 2002 with a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Rutgers Center for Behavioral Health Services and Criminal Justice Research has focused exclusively on mental health services issues that arise when persons with mental illness have encounters with the criminal justice system.

"Tan Jab" Is An Unlicensed Medicine And May Not Be Safe - Warns Medicines Regulator
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is warning people not to use an unlicensed medicine called Melanotan which is being advertised and sold illegally as an injectable tan on the Internet and in some tanning salons and body building gyms. Melanotan has not been tested for safety, quality or effectiveness. Therefore it is not known what the possible side effects are or how serious they could be. People should be aware of this should they be offered the product.

Interpol Seizes $6.65M In Counterfeit HIV/AIDS, Malaria, TB Drugs In Southeast Asia
The International Criminal Police Organization recently confiscated $6.65 million worth of counterfeit HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis drugs in Southeast Asia and made 27 arrests as part of a five-month investigation involving nearly 200 raids, Aline Plancon, an officer involved in the operation, said on Monday,

Nurse Struck Off After Assault On Teenager
A nurse convicted of assaulting his partner's teenage daughter has been struck off the professional register by the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC). Christopher Baldwin, 58, from Tenby, Pembrokeshire, was sentenced in June 2007 at Haverford Magistrates Court to a twelve month Community Order after being found guilty of striking Lauren Farr, his partners daughter, in the face and twisting her arm.

Illinois Supreme Court Orders State To Restart Payments To Medicaid Providers; New Hampshire Supreme Court Hears Arguments In Medicaid Lawsuit
Summaries of recent legal issues related to the Medicaid programs in Illinois and New Hampshire appear below.Illinois: The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday placed a temporary hold on a judge's order to shut down an expansion of the state's FamilyCare program, which will require the administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) to restart paying providers, the

Increasing Number Of Countries Criminalizing HIV Transmission
Some health officials are concerned that a growing trend to criminalize the transmission of HIV will undercut gains made in the fight against the virus worldwide, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. According to a recently released report from the

Advocacy Groups File Lawsuit Against VA Over Disability Claims Delays
Two veterans' advocacy groups on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs alleging that its failure to process disability claims in a timely manner has resulted in economic and other problems for hundreds of thousands of military personnel, the Cox/Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.

Supreme Court Should Rule In Favor Of Plaintiff In Pre-Emption Case, Editorial States
"If the U.S. Supreme Court were in the business of compensating victims of medical error because of the poignancy of their plight, Diana Levine wouldn't be in suspense about whether the justices would rule in her favor," but the court "usually doesn't take cases out of sympathy for -- or hostility toward -- an individual," a

British Teenager Wins Right To Refuse Heart Transplant
Hannah Jones, a terminally ill 13-year old British schoolgirl who has a hole in her heart, has won the right to refuse treatment after Herefordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) dropped a High Court case to force her to have a heart transplant. Hannah, who lives with her parents in Marden near Hereford, said she had had enough of medical treatment and wanted to die at home, with dignity.

Frequently Asked Questions About Malpractice Insurance For Nurses
How much malpractice insurance is enough for dermatology nurses? According to Carolyn Buppert, a health care attorney, the answer is "as much as you can get and afford." In the 'Medico-Legal Forum' column in the October 2008 issue of Dermatology Nursing, Buppert notes there are too few cases against dermatology nurses to offer guidance specific to the specialty.

Editorials Address Supreme Court Case On Pre-Emption
Three newspapers on Friday published editorials on Wyeth v. Levine, a case on which the U.S. Supreme Court heard opening arguments on Monday that could determine whether patients have the ability to file product liability lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies in state courts. Summaries appear below.

Doctors Need Insurance For New Mental Capacity Assessments Warns Medical Defence Union, UK
Doctors who assess the mental capacity of mental health patients must have insurance against any liabilities that may arise, under new legislation which has just come into force. The UK's leading medical defence organisation, the Medical Defence Union (MDU) says the regulations mean that doctors who are reliant on discretionary indemnity will not be eligible to carry out these assessments.

Wyeth Not Responsible For Plaintiff Injury In Pre-Emption Case, Company Official Writes
The injury sustained by Diana Levine -- the plaintiff in Wyeth v. Levine, a U.S. Supreme Court case that could determine whether patients have the ability to file product liability lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies in state courts -- "was undeniably tragic, but it was strictly a case of human error," William Ruane, vice president and general counsel for Wyeth, writes in a

Letter, Opinion Piece Address Supreme Court Case Regarding Drug Safety, Federal Pre-Emption
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard opening arguments in Wyeth v. Levine, a case that could determine whether patients have the ability to file product liability lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies in state courts (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 11/4).