New England Journal of Medicine Sides with Patients Against Medical Device Makers
An editorial in today’s New England Journal of Medicine laments the result of the Riegel v. Medtronic decision, based mostly on the NEJM’s concern that “preemption will result in medical devices that are less safe for the American people.” The editors point to the most recent example of preemption in action, in which a district court judge [...]
The FDA is broken. How can it be fixed?
In a recent NY Times article, reporter Barry Meier discussed Medtronic’s acknowledgment that some 13 deaths have been attributed to malfunctions of a device it manufactured –a small cable, known as the Sprint Fidelis, that connects an implanted defibrillator to the patient’s heart. Apparently, Medtronic knew the device was failing shortly after it reached the market in 2004, according to the [...]
Virginia and West Virginia:Nice States, But Don’t Get Sick There
In early February, I posted about West Virginia physician, John A. King, who had managed to generate 124 medical malpractice lawsuits during the short time he was on staff at Putnam General Hospital.
It turns out that Dr. King also generated considerable, and illegal fees for himself, courtesy of the medical device makers whose products Dr. [...]