companies were scared to produce a drug that would help women counteract morning sickness. In 1990, the
Journal of the American Medical Association
reported a twofold increase in hospitalizations caused by severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy since the disappearance of Bendictin. So who suffered? Only the innocent.”
“Did all of the Insufort studies show that it’s safe?” Kate asked.
“All but one,” Daniel answered hesitantly.
Kate cocked her head to one side and watched Daniel carefully as she waited for him to continue.
“I’m in trouble because I missed a letter from Dr. Sergey Kaidanov when I reviewed some discovery that was turned over to Aaron Flynn. The letter discusses a primate study involving Insufort.”
“And?”
A vision of Patrick Cummings flashed through Daniel’s mind.
“The study showed a high incidence of birth defects in rhesus monkeys that had been given the drug during pregnancy,” he answered quietly.
“Did Geller tell you about this study before the deposition?”
“No. Geller’s chief medical adviser swears that he’s never heard of it.”
“I see.” Kate sounded skeptical.
“The Kaidanov letter doesn’t make sense, Kate. The percentage of defects was very high, in the forty-percent range. It’s so out of line with the other study results that there’s got to be something wrong.”
“Maybe there’s something wrong with Geller’s other studies.”
“No, I’ve never seen any evidence in any study of a link between Insufort and birth defects.”
“Maybe you’ve never seen any evidence because Geller is hiding it. Remember the asbestos cases? The asbestos industry covered up studies that showed increased cancer in animals. It wasn’t until a lawsuit was brought that it came out that they’d known about the problem for decades. The lead-paint industry continued to defend its product even though lead poisoning was one of the most common health problems in children under six and there was scientific documentation of the dangers of lead poisoning as early as 1897. And let’s not forget the tobacco industry.”
“Jesus, Kate, whose side are you on? Geller is our client.”
“Our client is in the drug business to make a buck and it wouldn’t surprise me if Geller covered up the Kaidanov study if the results are as devastating as you say they are. Do you think Geller markets Insufort to help women? Companies whose executives are men make a lot of these defective products that are used by women. There’s Thalidomide, DES—the synthetic estrogen that was supposed to prevent miscarriages and caused vaginal cancer—and the Dalkon Shield.”
“Plaintiffs’ attorneys play on this sympathy for women to gouge money out of corporations with frivolous lawsuits so they can rake in millions,” Daniel answered angrily. “They don’t care about their clients or whether they really have a case. The Bendictin lawyers were hoping that jurors would be so appalled by the birth defects they saw that they’d forget that there was no evidence that Bendictin caused them. The breast implant cases used sympathy for women to sway public opinion even though there’s no evidence of a connection between defects in silicone gel implants and connective tissue diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.”
Kate looked fed up. “I have a good friend who’s sterile because she used the Dalkon Shield. I worked on her lawsuit and I learned a lot about the way corporate America works. By the time the public discovers that a product is defective, the company has made so much money it can afford to buy off the victims. Tobacco is so flush it can make multibillion-dollar settlements and still keep trucking.
“And don’t come down so hard on plaintiffs’ attorneys. They can make millions when they win a case, but they don’t make a penny if they lose.”
“You think Aaron Flynn is a humanitarian?” Daniel asked, but his heart was not completely in tune
Journal of the American Medical Association
reported a twofold increase in hospitalizations caused by severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy since the disappearance of Bendictin. So who suffered? Only the innocent.”
“Did all of the Insufort studies show that it’s safe?” Kate asked.
“All but one,” Daniel answered hesitantly.
Kate cocked her head to one side and watched Daniel carefully as she waited for him to continue.
“I’m in trouble because I missed a letter from Dr. Sergey Kaidanov when I reviewed some discovery that was turned over to Aaron Flynn. The letter discusses a primate study involving Insufort.”
“And?”
A vision of Patrick Cummings flashed through Daniel’s mind.
“The study showed a high incidence of birth defects in rhesus monkeys that had been given the drug during pregnancy,” he answered quietly.
“Did Geller tell you about this study before the deposition?”
“No. Geller’s chief medical adviser swears that he’s never heard of it.”
“I see.” Kate sounded skeptical.
“The Kaidanov letter doesn’t make sense, Kate. The percentage of defects was very high, in the forty-percent range. It’s so out of line with the other study results that there’s got to be something wrong.”
“Maybe there’s something wrong with Geller’s other studies.”
“No, I’ve never seen any evidence in any study of a link between Insufort and birth defects.”
“Maybe you’ve never seen any evidence because Geller is hiding it. Remember the asbestos cases? The asbestos industry covered up studies that showed increased cancer in animals. It wasn’t until a lawsuit was brought that it came out that they’d known about the problem for decades. The lead-paint industry continued to defend its product even though lead poisoning was one of the most common health problems in children under six and there was scientific documentation of the dangers of lead poisoning as early as 1897. And let’s not forget the tobacco industry.”
“Jesus, Kate, whose side are you on? Geller is our client.”
“Our client is in the drug business to make a buck and it wouldn’t surprise me if Geller covered up the Kaidanov study if the results are as devastating as you say they are. Do you think Geller markets Insufort to help women? Companies whose executives are men make a lot of these defective products that are used by women. There’s Thalidomide, DES—the synthetic estrogen that was supposed to prevent miscarriages and caused vaginal cancer—and the Dalkon Shield.”
“Plaintiffs’ attorneys play on this sympathy for women to gouge money out of corporations with frivolous lawsuits so they can rake in millions,” Daniel answered angrily. “They don’t care about their clients or whether they really have a case. The Bendictin lawyers were hoping that jurors would be so appalled by the birth defects they saw that they’d forget that there was no evidence that Bendictin caused them. The breast implant cases used sympathy for women to sway public opinion even though there’s no evidence of a connection between defects in silicone gel implants and connective tissue diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.”
Kate looked fed up. “I have a good friend who’s sterile because she used the Dalkon Shield. I worked on her lawsuit and I learned a lot about the way corporate America works. By the time the public discovers that a product is defective, the company has made so much money it can afford to buy off the victims. Tobacco is so flush it can make multibillion-dollar settlements and still keep trucking.
“And don’t come down so hard on plaintiffs’ attorneys. They can make millions when they win a case, but they don’t make a penny if they lose.”
“You think Aaron Flynn is a humanitarian?” Daniel asked, but his heart was not completely in tune
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