| Mesothelioma Cancer specialist accuses NHS of putting money before lives
A leading cancer specialist accused the NHS yesterday of putting money before patients' lives after use of a drug effective in prolonging the lives of sufferers from the asbestos-linked lung cancer mesothelioma was blocked. A report by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has concluded that the drug pemetrexed disodium - sold under the name Alimta - would not be recommended for use within the NHS. It stated that there was not enough evidence that the drug, which was used in trials with the anti-cancer drug cisplatin, was better than cheaper treatments. But Dr Robin Rudd, an expert in respiratory oncology and a former consultant at St Bartholomew's hospital, London, who quit the NHS in March over cost-cutting measures, claimed the decision had been taken solely on financial grounds.
Toxic blue asbestos found in lungs of 2 patients
Highly toxic blue asbestos has been found in the lungs of two patients suffering from mesothelioma--which is allegedly caused by the material--who lived near Kubota Corp.'s former Kanzaki plant in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture. The plant, run by the major machinery manufacturer, used blue asbestos from 1957 to 1975. The two patients lived near the plant during the same period. The patients claim that the central government should acknowledge that the disease is caused by environmental pollution and pay compensation, saying that the findings have further clarified the relationship between the factory and the disease. The findings were made by Yuji Natori, a doctor and director of the Mesothelioma--Pneumoconiosis--Asbestos Center in Tokyo, and others who examined the lungs of six patients aged 52 to 66, including those who were deceased.
Abuse victims free to sue after decades
VICTIMS of childhood sexual assault, medical negligence and workplace accidents could now sue for damages decades after the event, following a landmark High Court decision that will force former ATSIC chairman Geoff Clark to defend claims he led the 1971 pack-rape of a 16-year-old girl. Carol Stingel was "over the moon" yesterday with the court judgment clearing the way for her to sue the Aboriginal leader despite 35 years passing since the alleged attack. It will be the first time Mr Clark has had to respond to the rape allegations, as no criminal case was ever mounted and he has waged a constant battle to strike Ms Stingel's claim out of the Victorian courts. The decision significantly expands the number of cases that can now proceed even if the legal time limits for taking court action have expired.
Asbestos ban 'used for economic gain'
Supporters of proposed legislation to ban white asbestos were accused of using a health issue for economic gain at the launch of a documentary on the subject in Johannesburg on Wednesday. John Jerre from Turnall, a cement company in Zimbabwe which uses white asbestos, said large companies were using health to push forward the ban to "have the market to themselves". The documentary investigates whether the proposed ban of the product by the South African government was a health or economic issue. White asbestos has been banned in 39 other countries due to concerns about Asbestos Related Diseases (ARDs). .
Widow Wins $10 Million in Asbestos Suit
A jury awarded $10.4 million to the widow of a former shipyard worker who died of lung cancer after four years of working with materials that contained asbestos. The Newport News Circuit Court verdict in Wanda Jones' wrongful death lawsuit against three companies that manufactured the materials was handed down Wednesday, the first anniversary of the death of 60-year-old Buddy Jones. "It's a mixed day," Wanda Jones said. "At least there's been some justice and recognition for what he went through, certainly through no fault of his own. He just went to work and did what he was trained to do on the job." Her attorney, Robert Hatten, called the verdict a landmark because one-third of the judgment will come from John Crane Inc., which has refused to settle other asbestos cases.
|
