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Top Stories
- Proposed Upcoming Special Election Will Gut Prop
63
Prop 63 was the Proposition that put a 1% tax on millionaires to pay for "Mental Health" programs. The Legislature is looking at taking that money to help balance the State budget. It looks like there will be a special election in May to approve the change. Stay tuned!
- Eli Lilly Settles for $1.42 billion!
Eli Lilly & Co taught its sales force a catchy slogan to peddle antipsychotic drug Zyprexa for treating the elderly. Company salespeople told care providers that 5 milligrams of Zyprexa at 5 pm. - or "5 at 5" - would help dementia patients sleep. Only problem: Regulators never approved selling the drug for dementia, and federal prosecutors say marketing like that led to a record $1.42 billion settlement with Lilly. Sometimes the bad guys don't get away with it!
- Supreme Court Rules Against Drug
Companies
The Supreme Court struck a blow to the pharmaceutical industry recently when they ruled that litigants may sue for damages if they are harmed by unsafe drugs - even if the drug manufacturers have satisfied federal regulators (i.e. the FDA). Justice Stevens, writing for the majority, said that allowing such lawsuits "provides incentives for drug manufacturers to disclose safety risks promptly."