Vioxx Starts Adversely Affecting Patients After 4 Months, Not 18 Months (Medical News Today) Merck had initially claimed that Vioxx begins to have adverse effects on the cardiovascular system after 18 months' use, but data the company submitted to the FDA last week shows this starts to happen after just 4 months, according to the Wall Street Journal. Dr. [click link for full article] [News Source]

SJC says tobacco firms can’t blame smokers as defense (Boston Globe) The Supreme Judicial Court ruled yesterday that cigarette makers cannot defend against personal-injury lawsuits by arguing that smokers should know the health risks of cigarettes and thus are responsible for harming themselves. [News Source]

Negin A. Demehry Joins the Klinedinst Office in San Diego (PR Web) Negin A. Demehry, Esq. has joined the law offices of Klinedinst PC in San Diego. Ms. Demehry has background in a variety of civil litigation cases, including construction, employment, medical malpractice, personal injury and real estate. She is a graduate of George Mason University School of Law, and relocated from Virginia to work in Klinedinst's San Diego office. (PRWEB May 19, 2006) [News Source]

Study says medical malpractice system is not plagued by frivolous lawsuits (Boca Raton News) The debate over medical malpractice litigation, which raged during the last presidential campaign, continues as a hot-button political and health care issue in the U.S. The Senate is expected to vote soon on legislation to impose a federal cap on non-economic damages in malpractice suits, following on similar bills that passed the House of Representatives but stalled in the Senate last year. [News Source]