Sunday, June 12, 2011

Drugmaker pays $25 million to settle military claim

Novo Nordisk accused of unlawfully marketing a drug used to treat casualties in Iraq, which later proved potentially dangerous

by Robert Little, The Baltimore Sun

The medical questions about the Army's use of Factor VII, its one-time wonder drug, have largely been resolved by the scientific evidence: Yes, it is potentially dangerous. No, it doesn't seem to work.

But to critics of the drug's use, some practical questions remained. Such as: Why was an obscure and extremely expensive hemophilia drug embraced by Army leaders as a treatment for combat injuries? And why was it injected into thousands of wounded troops and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan despite a near-complete lack of evidence that it was safe or saved lives?
A federal whistle-blower lawsuit unsealed in Baltimore on Friday offers the first hints of an answer.
Read the rest of the story here.

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