MICHIGAN LEGISLATORS WANT TO REPEAL LAW THAT PROTECTS DRUG MAKERS
April 9, 2005 07:47

State House Democrats want to allow residents hurt by a prescription medication to be able to sue drug makers for damages, something severely limited in Michigan. Democrats are expected to announce a three- bill package of legislation that would repeal the state's 1996 law that shields drug makers from liability if their product was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The legislation is retroactive, which would allow residents harmed by an FDA-approved drug since the old law took effect to file a lawsuit. "When it comes to protecting consumers from the drug industry, we're dead last," House Democratic Leader Dianne Byrum of Onondaga said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. "It is shameful that Michigan residents who have been harmed by prescription drugs have no recourse simply because they live in our state." The Michigan Trial Lawyers Association has said Michigan is the only state in the country to strictly limit lawsuits against producers of FDA-approved drugs. http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/104-04092005-473957.html