Vested Interest - News and Notes - May 2006 Issue

Infections Take Heavy Toll on Patients

Pennsylvania patients who contracted an infection during a hospital stay in 2004 rang up charges that were seven times higher than the patients who did not develop an infection, complications that cost insurers and individuals an extra $614 million, according to a Pennsylvania state analysis. Patients with hospital-acquired infections spent many more days in the hospital, underwent more extensive procedures and were seven times more likely to die, deaths that many experts say were largely preventable. (ATLA Law News Digest – March 30, 2006)

Vaccine Study Findings Fuel Debate Over Autism

A new UC Davis study links a mercury-containing preservative once prevalent in many children’s vaccines to immune system dysfunction in mice. The findings are sure to heighten the debate over whether vaccines play a role in causing autism, especially since there is growing evidence that many autistic children have irregular immune systems. The researchers released their results with an abundance of caution, stressing that numerous questions remain about thimerosal’s effect on humans and its relationship, if any, to the recent rapid rise in the numbers of autistic children. The study is a road map for future investigations of the effect mercury from a variety of sources has on developing immune systems. (ATLA Law News Digest – March 30, 2006)

Illinois Firms in the Top 100

Illinois firms ranked in the top 100 of Fortune magazine’s list of the nation’s top 500 companies. Companies are ranked by 2005 revenue, which is shown in billions. The last number for each company is its 2005 ranking.
22. State Farm Insurance, Bloomington, $59.224, 19;
26. Boeing Co., Chicago, $54,848, 25;
33. Sears Holdings, Hoffman Estates, $49.124, 113;
45. Walgreen Co., Deerfield, $42.202, 38;
54. Motorola, Schaumburg, $36.843, 49;
55. Caterpiller Inc., Peoria, $36.339, 57;
56. Archer Daniels Midland, Decatur, $35.944, 44;
58. Allstate Insurance, Northbrook, $35.383, 51;
93. Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, $22.338, 100; and
96. Deere, Moline, $21.931, 106. (AP – April 4, 2006)

Insurers Saw Record Gains in Year of Catastrophic Loss

The companies that provide Americans with their homeowners and auto insurance made a record $44.8 billion profit last year even after accounting for the claims of policyholders wiped out by Hurricane Katrina and the other big storms of 2005, according to the firms’ filings with state regulators. Top executives described the profit – an 18.7 percent increase over the previous year – as a fluke, the product of gains in other lines of insurance besides homeowners and a very good year for investments. They said that even with the increase, insurers face deep problems that can be fixed only by substantial premium hikes, a scaling back of commitments by several firms to the most disaster-prone portions of the country, and according to some, a greatly expanded role for the state and federal governments in insuring individuals against the largest of catastrophes. (ATLA Law News Digest – April 6, 2006)

Perchlorate Litigation Heating Up?

The chemical compound perchlorate has already generated plenty of heat as a key ingredient in rocket fuel. But over the last few years, scientists, policy makers and lawyers have begun an often impassioned debate about the possible implications of the widespread presence of perchlorate in the nation’s groundwater. Everyone agrees that at some concentration, perchlorate inhibits the thyroid gland’s ability to absorb iodine from the bloodstream. Many environmentalists and public-health professionals say the ratio should be one part per billion (ppb) or less, but the Defense Department and its industry contractors believe that concentrations up to 200 ppb are safe. (ATLA Law News Digest – April 13, 2006)

Phenergan Antihistamine Warning

Federal health officials are warning parents and doctors not to give drugs that contain promethazine hydrochloride to children younger than 2, citing seven cases of death linked to use of the antihistamine. The FDA said in a safety alert that beyond the deaths, it also has received 22 reports of severe breathing problems associated with use of the allergy drug, all in children younger than 2. The drug, also known as promethazine HCL, is sold by Wyeth under the brand name Phenergan as well as in various generic versions. The warning covers all forms of the drug, including syrups, suppositories, tablets and injectable liquids. (AP – April 26, 2006)

Credibility Gap

Recent disclosures of fraudulent or flawed studies in medical and scientific journals have called into question as never before the merits of their peer-review system. The system is based on journals inviting independent experts to critique submitted manuscripts. The stated aim is to weed out sloppy and bad research, ensuring the integrity of what is published. Because findings published in peer-reviewed journals affect patient care, public policy and the authors’ academic promotions, journal editors contend that new scientific information should be published in a peer-reviewed journal before it is presented to doctors and the public. That message, however, has created a widespread misimpression that passing peer review is the scientific equivalent of the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. (ATLA Law News Digest – May 4, 2006)

U.S. Mothers Deserve $134,121 in Salary

A full-time stay-at-home mother would earn $134,121 a year if paid for all her work, an amount similar to a top U.S. ad executive, a marketing director or a judge, according to a new study. A mother who works outside the home would earn an extra $85,876 annually on top of her actual wages for the work she does at home, according to the study by Waltham, Massachusetts-based compensation experts Salary.com. (ATLA Law News Digest – May 4, 2006)

Autism Rates Decline after Mercury Removed from Childhood Vaccines

A study conducted by two independent researchers supports a direct link between childhood vaccines containing mercury and neurodevelopmental (NDs) disorders, including autism. The study found that after thimerosal was removed from most childhood vaccines after 1999, the rate of autism and other NDs significantly declined in children. The study, published in a March issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, compared reported rates of autism and other NDs from 1994 through 2005. (ATLA Law News Digest – May 4, 2006)