Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Illinois Plaintiff Drops Zantac Case; GSK Asks To Appeal Delaware Cases
GSK said that a plaintiff in an Illinois lawsuit against the company voluntarily dismissed her case, one of many legal disputes alleging its discontinued drug Zantac caused cancer. The British pharmaceutical giant said late Monday that the trial was scheduled to start yesterday in Illinois, adding that it didn鈥檛 reach a settlement nor made any payments in exchange for the voluntary case dismissal. (Smolak, 6/11)
GSK and other drugmakers on Monday asked a Delaware court for permission to appeal a ruling allowing more than 70,000 lawsuits claiming that heartburn drug Zantac causes cancer to go forward. If Judge Vivian Medinilla of Delaware Superior Court grants the petition, which is also joined by Pfizer, Sanofi, and Boehringer Ingelheim, the appeal will go directly to the Delaware Supreme Court. If she denies it, GSK said, the companies will ask the Supreme Court directly to hear the case. (Pierson, 6/11)
In other news from across the country 鈥
A double lung transplant has given Michelle Knight, of Oak Forest, a new lease on life when she might have given up. Even with the sometimes grueling recovery period, which included being on a ventilator right after surgery, intense rehabilitation and taking 25 pills daily to ward off rejection and infection, Knight, 64, is upbeat about the entire experience. (Neumann, 6/10)
After 2-year-old Mateo died from drowning, his donated organs saved other people鈥檚 lives. His family found solace in knowing that his liver went to an infant and his kidneys to two adults.聽The heart, though, felt like the most powerful gift. Because they can hear it, still. (Brown, 6/10)
Louisiana lawmakers approved a bill to remove the state's total ban on raw milk sales, joining the majority of the country where the product is already available, if and when Gov. Jeff Landry signs the legislation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that consuming raw milk comes with big health risks, and that concern is growing as avian flu infects America's dairy cows. (Brasted, 6/10)
Missouri advocates for a federal program compensating people who became sick after exposure to radiation from World War II-era nuclear weapons programs are frustrated and outraged over a congressional stalemate. (Rosenbaum and Grumke, 6/10)
Planned Parenthood is asking a Missouri judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the state鈥檚 attorney general alleging the clinic is transporting minors out of state for abortions. The lawsuit was filed based on an undercover video filmed by a man affiliated with a right-wing group pretending to be the uncle of a 13-year-old in need of an abortion whose parents couldn鈥檛 know. (Spoerre, 6/11)
When Faith Comas started wrestling in high school, she was one of just two girls on her team. The 18-year-old Cicero teen, who has dreams of wrestling in college, said that often meant everyone supporting her through her sport 鈥撯 teammates, coaches and trainers 鈥撯 was male. 鈥淲hen I got hurt a couple years ago, we had a male physical therapist, and he was really lax about it,鈥 Comas said. 鈥淗e just told me I鈥檓 鈥榞ood to go.鈥 Having an environment for women would鈥檝e been a lot more comfortable and better for healing the injury long term.鈥 (Kalra, 6/11)
Also 鈥
Baltimore City Council members said Monday they would hold a series of hearings on the city government鈥檚 response to its overdose epidemic, following an examination by The New York Times and The Baltimore Banner. The public safety and health committees announced they would meet at least four times on the topic in the coming months, starting in July. (Sullivan, Thieme, Zhu and Willis, 6/10)
Baltimore went its own way and has won part of a potentially billion-dollar lawsuit against opioid distributors. Pharmaceutical company Allergan will pay the city a $45 million settlement within 30 days for its role in the opioid epidemic, the mayor鈥檚 office said in a news release Monday. (Mullan, 6/10)