Letters of Lawsuits and other topics

[Galen]

Sorry to use up a thread for this but I felt this was important.

I got an email today from someone named Annie Giannini asking if I had sustained any permanent damage from combo therapy and, if so, would I be interested in joining a class action suit.  
While I understand the temptation to try that route, I feel that if HCV patients start suing drug manufacturers, the effect on research would be chilling.  I don't know about anyone else, but I knew going in that there was a very real chance of major complications from tx and accepted the risk.  After all the alternative was certain to have less acceptable side effects, namely, the real possibility of death from liver disease.

I am interested in all of your opinions and whether you have also been contacted.  I don't know Annie Giannini and wonder how she got my address.  Any ideas?

[ringeding]

hey all...hope this finds everyone reasonably well.....i couldn't help but respond to this one.  sometime ago, i think back in early march, i received from another party, an attached e-mail from the same women, annie g.....it so frightened and disturbed me, as my side effects had been enormous, severe muscle atrophy spl?....eye sight detereorating etc. etc....and just generally feeling so desperately weak all the time, and being so vulnerable, that i considered stopping tx about 4 weeks short of completion out of immense fear. i did e-mail the law firm that was mentioned in the e-mail,to try and get some more info but never heard back.....after much support and encouragment from some,and some butt kickin i decided to continue on and get to that much coveted 'finish line'....

it did occur to me at some point that yes, i had spent more than enough time researching these drugs (about a full year before tx-ing) to know that there were not only no garauntes,spl?  but possible harmful side effects, but choose to treat with the knowledge and info i had...and clearly could read on every insert in every box of pegetron/ribavirine the possible sides...i especially LOVED the potential to become homicidal especially when compounded with menopause,(dead beavers)  and would envision a class action suit of a different sort.....  
beavers vs kimberley....ok ok all kidding aside....

i am happy to report that this girl....yes couchpotatoe, one of the ONLY three of us in the great white north treating/treated for hep c....have made it to the end and jogged/crawled through the ribbon at the finish line...after a brief repreive and vaction ( where on the very first day,i got severe sun poisoning and had to remain indoors for the duration during day light hours...opps...no one said interferon and riba don't mix with the sun in south/central america, oh and not to forget to mention the extreme dehydration i suffered...hahah) i am now home and beginning to feel better each day.  sadly i must report that my hair, which had certainly thinned alot through tx....decided to REALLY start falling out AFTER tx....and the beat goes on...la de da de de, la de da de da....but i am in good spirits as usual and thrilled to not have to anticapate yet another monday injection.  i will not be tested...PCR until october....so i have absolutely no clue as to whether or not i have responded and await patiently for good news at xmas.....

one other quick note...Health Canada announced yesterday that they had finally APPROVED pegasys for canadians and that it would be available almost immediatly....this is great news for those that will be treating!!!!

anyway all...take good care, stay well, stay cool
cheers
kimmy

[Tony-z]

  My Dr, along with Schering Plow and the phamisist all gave me the information about the SX of TX. In fact they went out of there way to make sure I understood what was at stake. How could anyone in there right mind try suing drug manufacturers that have cured so many.

                    TonyZ

[simpleman]

I am PROUD to be associated with people who respond to greed like this. The only thing is I think the drug companies know more about complications than they tell you(for precicely that reason,fear of being sued).I have an uncle ,by marriage, who I've never met who did combo therapy. I didn't know it till I was finished. He has been to the Mayo clinic several times because he is losing his sight. They are pretty sure it is from the tx drugs reacting with fillings in his teeth that is making him blind. Pretty wierd, huh? Even after something as horrible as losing your sight he doesn't blame them. I hope I could have the same attitude under the same circumstances. Indiana does have a claim against the Badger though since it was purposeful and malicious.    Galen- it was nice to see you here and I hope your virus-free life is great.

[Showboat]

I am sooo greiving for Common Sense.   I loved that post you gave us.  It sure is a "mixed bag", isn't it?   I could not help but get a laugh about the writing, and yet the truth of the whole thing gave me... pangs of long forgotten memories of respect and the common sense that has been missing from a chunck of society these days..... Oh, well....I just hate to see (as someone else pointed out) the progress to SVR possibly being hampered by such ignorancy.
Peace

[Tallblonde]

Yikes!  Just another thing for me to worry about.  I'm O-positive.

Thanks for the information.

Susan

[tina-b]

O blood is a rare form to begin with. My hubby has 0 neg. O can give to anyone, it is the universal blood type. The down side is that 0 can only accept 0.