Japan Press Weekly

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2011 January 26 - February 1 [WELFARE]

State rejects court settlement of ‘Iressa’ lawsuit

The government on January 28 announced its refusal to accept a recommendation made by the Tokyo and Osaka district courts calling for state compensation for damages caused by a side effect of the lung cancer drug, Iressa.

With the government’s rejection, the Osaka and Tokyo district courts will issue rulings on February 25 and March 23, respectively.

In 2004, 15 victims of Iressa filed lawsuits to claim compensation from the government and AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical firm that imported the drug.

The courts on January 7 made a recommendation calling for relief measures and payment of monetary compensation. In the recommendation, the courts argued that the government and AstraZeneca failed to take appropriate measures to inform lung cancer patients of a side effect of the anti-cancer drug.

The plaintiffs decided to accept the recommendation while AstraZeneca on January 24 expressed its refusal.

As for the reason for its refusal, the government stated, “The government takes legally accurate measures to ensure the safety of drugs. Acceptance of the court recommendation may cause a negative impact on procedures for approving new drugs.”

The plaintiffs’ group in its statement criticized the government, saying, “Rejecting the court recommendation means denial of cancer patients’ right to have access to safe drugs and the importance of securing the safety of medicines.”