If you are injured while working as a civilian for a company supporting the U.S. Department of Defense in Iraq, Kuwait or anywhere overseas, you may be entitled to receive Federal workers' compensation benefits under the Defense Base Act (42 U.S. Code § 1651). One of the benefits, established by the U.S. Congress, is to have attorney representation for free. No attorney’s fees come from a worker’s weekly benefits or settlement. They are awarded to the attorney by the U.S. Department of Labor based on his reasonable time spent on the case.
Established in 1941, the primary goal of the Defense Base Act was to cover workers on military bases outside the United States. The act was amended to include public works contracts with the government for the building of non-military projects such as dams, schools, harbors, and roads abroad. A further amendment added a vast array of enterprises revolving around the national security of the United States and its allies. Today, almost any contract with an agency of the U.S. government, for work outside the U.S., whether military in nature or not, will likely require Defense Base Act coverage.
Claims must be filed in the appropriate district office of the United States Department of Labor. The New York District is located in Manhattan near Bagolie Friedman Injury Lawyers. The New York District covers all claims arising in Iraq, Afghanistan as well as all of Central and South American, Europe and Africa.
All consultations are free and confidential.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Researchers Say ″Killer″ Asthma Inhalers Should Be Recalled
Jun 20, 2006 | Consumer Affairs
Researchers from Cornell and Stanford universities have concluded three common asthma inhalers containing the drugs salmeterol or formoterol may be causing four out of five U.S. asthma-related deaths per year and should be taken off the market.
The researchers made their recommendation after concluding a search of medical literature.
They base these conclusions on a statistical analysis of 19 published trials involving 33,826 patients. This so-called meta-analysis found that patients who inhaled the long-acting beta-agonists salmeterol (trade names Serevent and Advair, both made by GlaxoSmithKline) or formoterol (trade name Foradil, made by Novartis Pharmaceuticals) were 3.5 times more likely to die from asthma and 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized (whether or not death resulted), compared with those taking a placebo.
The reason, say the researchers, is because although these medications relieve asthma symptoms, they also promote bronchial inflammation and sensitivity without warning.
Asthma death is relatively rare, 15 patients in the meta-analysis who were taking the beta-agonists died, compared with three in the placebo group, over a six-month period.
"In total, there are about 5,000 deaths a year due to asthma, whether or not a person is taking a long-acting beta-agonist," said Edwin Salpeter, the J.G. White Distinguished Professor of Physical Sciences Emeritus at Cornell, who led the statistical analysis in the study.
An eminent astrophysicist, Salpeter has more recently focused his attention on medical statistics.
"We can show that overall it is statistically significant that, compared to patients taking a placebo, these long-acting beta-agonists kill a lot of people," he said.
"These asthma deaths are generally in healthy young adults," said his daughter, Shelley Salpeter, the lead author of the paper appearing online and in the June 20 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. She is a clinical professor of medicine at Stanford's School of Medicine and a physician at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, Calif.
"We estimate that approximately 4,000 out of the 5,000 asthma deaths that occur in the U.S. each year are actually caused by these long-acting beta-agonists, and we urge that these agents be taken off the market," she added.
Adding an anti-inflammatory drug to a long-acting beta-agonist adds little benefit, report the Salpeters.
Advair, for example, (the fourth bestselling drug in the world with $5.6 billion in annual sales), combines salmeterol with an anti-inflammatory drug to provide some protection against bronchial inflammation associated with beta-agonists. But hospitalizations still doubled for patients inhaling a long-acting beta-agonist combined with an anti-inflammatory drug compared with asthma patients taking a placebo and an anti-inflammatory drug by itself.
Of the 19 studies surveyed in the meta-analysis, the largest the Salmeterol Multicenter Asthma Research Trial with 26,000 participants reported a fourfold increased risk for asthma-related deaths and a twofold increase in life-threatening asthma events in patients using salmeterol.
If older people who also suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were removed from the analysis, the Salpeters report, salmeterol would be associated with a six times greater risk for asthma-related deaths.
The meta-analysis found that 53 of 3,083 patients inhaling beta-agonists were hospitalized for an asthma attack compared with 12 of 2,008 patients who received a placebo, meaning that there was one hospitalization for every 71 patients treated with a long-acting beta-agonist per year.
The Salpeters say that these two long-acting beta-agonists can result in death because tolerance to them develops over time.
"These agents can improve symptoms through bronchodilation at the same time as increasing underlying inflammation and bronchial hyper-responsiveness, thus worsening asthma control without any warning of increased symptoms," said Shelley Salpeter.
"It is particularly frightening that long-acting beta-agonists are detrimental, whether salmeterol or formoterol, whether taken alone or with anti-inflammatory drugs, both for children and for adults," said Ed Salpeter.
Researchers from Cornell and Stanford universities have concluded three common asthma inhalers containing the drugs salmeterol or formoterol may be causing four out of five U.S. asthma-related deaths per year and should be taken off the market.
The researchers made their recommendation after concluding a search of medical literature.
They base these conclusions on a statistical analysis of 19 published trials involving 33,826 patients. This so-called meta-analysis found that patients who inhaled the long-acting beta-agonists salmeterol (trade names Serevent and Advair, both made by GlaxoSmithKline) or formoterol (trade name Foradil, made by Novartis Pharmaceuticals) were 3.5 times more likely to die from asthma and 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized (whether or not death resulted), compared with those taking a placebo.
The reason, say the researchers, is because although these medications relieve asthma symptoms, they also promote bronchial inflammation and sensitivity without warning.
Asthma death is relatively rare, 15 patients in the meta-analysis who were taking the beta-agonists died, compared with three in the placebo group, over a six-month period.
"In total, there are about 5,000 deaths a year due to asthma, whether or not a person is taking a long-acting beta-agonist," said Edwin Salpeter, the J.G. White Distinguished Professor of Physical Sciences Emeritus at Cornell, who led the statistical analysis in the study.
An eminent astrophysicist, Salpeter has more recently focused his attention on medical statistics.
"We can show that overall it is statistically significant that, compared to patients taking a placebo, these long-acting beta-agonists kill a lot of people," he said.
"These asthma deaths are generally in healthy young adults," said his daughter, Shelley Salpeter, the lead author of the paper appearing online and in the June 20 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. She is a clinical professor of medicine at Stanford's School of Medicine and a physician at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, Calif.
"We estimate that approximately 4,000 out of the 5,000 asthma deaths that occur in the U.S. each year are actually caused by these long-acting beta-agonists, and we urge that these agents be taken off the market," she added.
Adding an anti-inflammatory drug to a long-acting beta-agonist adds little benefit, report the Salpeters.
Advair, for example, (the fourth bestselling drug in the world with $5.6 billion in annual sales), combines salmeterol with an anti-inflammatory drug to provide some protection against bronchial inflammation associated with beta-agonists. But hospitalizations still doubled for patients inhaling a long-acting beta-agonist combined with an anti-inflammatory drug compared with asthma patients taking a placebo and an anti-inflammatory drug by itself.
Of the 19 studies surveyed in the meta-analysis, the largest the Salmeterol Multicenter Asthma Research Trial with 26,000 participants reported a fourfold increased risk for asthma-related deaths and a twofold increase in life-threatening asthma events in patients using salmeterol.
If older people who also suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were removed from the analysis, the Salpeters report, salmeterol would be associated with a six times greater risk for asthma-related deaths.
The meta-analysis found that 53 of 3,083 patients inhaling beta-agonists were hospitalized for an asthma attack compared with 12 of 2,008 patients who received a placebo, meaning that there was one hospitalization for every 71 patients treated with a long-acting beta-agonist per year.
The Salpeters say that these two long-acting beta-agonists can result in death because tolerance to them develops over time.
"These agents can improve symptoms through bronchodilation at the same time as increasing underlying inflammation and bronchial hyper-responsiveness, thus worsening asthma control without any warning of increased symptoms," said Shelley Salpeter.
"It is particularly frightening that long-acting beta-agonists are detrimental, whether salmeterol or formoterol, whether taken alone or with anti-inflammatory drugs, both for children and for adults," said Ed Salpeter.
Researchers Say ″Killer″ Asthma Inhalers Should Be Recalled
Jun 20, 2006 | Consumer Affairs
Researchers from Cornell and Stanford universities have concluded three common asthma inhalers containing the drugs salmeterol or formoterol may be causing four out of five U.S. asthma-related deaths per year and should be taken off the market.
The researchers made their recommendation after concluding a search of medical literature.
They base these conclusions on a statistical analysis of 19 published trials involving 33,826 patients. This so-called meta-analysis found that patients who inhaled the long-acting beta-agonists salmeterol (trade names Serevent and Advair, both made by GlaxoSmithKline) or formoterol (trade name Foradil, made by Novartis Pharmaceuticals) were 3.5 times more likely to die from asthma and 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized (whether or not death resulted), compared with those taking a placebo.
The reason, say the researchers, is because although these medications relieve asthma symptoms, they also promote bronchial inflammation and sensitivity without warning.
Asthma death is relatively rare, 15 patients in the meta-analysis who were taking the beta-agonists died, compared with three in the placebo group, over a six-month period.
"In total, there are about 5,000 deaths a year due to asthma, whether or not a person is taking a long-acting beta-agonist," said Edwin Salpeter, the J.G. White Distinguished Professor of Physical Sciences Emeritus at Cornell, who led the statistical analysis in the study.
An eminent astrophysicist, Salpeter has more recently focused his attention on medical statistics.
"We can show that overall it is statistically significant that, compared to patients taking a placebo, these long-acting beta-agonists kill a lot of people," he said.
"These asthma deaths are generally in healthy young adults," said his daughter, Shelley Salpeter, the lead author of the paper appearing online and in the June 20 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. She is a clinical professor of medicine at Stanford's School of Medicine and a physician at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, Calif.
"We estimate that approximately 4,000 out of the 5,000 asthma deaths that occur in the U.S. each year are actually caused by these long-acting beta-agonists, and we urge that these agents be taken off the market," she added.
Adding an anti-inflammatory drug to a long-acting beta-agonist adds little benefit, report the Salpeters.
Advair, for example, (the fourth bestselling drug in the world with $5.6 billion in annual sales), combines salmeterol with an anti-inflammatory drug to provide some protection against bronchial inflammation associated with beta-agonists. But hospitalizations still doubled for patients inhaling a long-acting beta-agonist combined with an anti-inflammatory drug compared with asthma patients taking a placebo and an anti-inflammatory drug by itself.
Of the 19 studies surveyed in the meta-analysis, the largest the Salmeterol Multicenter Asthma Research Trial with 26,000 participants reported a fourfold increased risk for asthma-related deaths and a twofold increase in life-threatening asthma events in patients using salmeterol.
If older people who also suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were removed from the analysis, the Salpeters report, salmeterol would be associated with a six times greater risk for asthma-related deaths.
The meta-analysis found that 53 of 3,083 patients inhaling beta-agonists were hospitalized for an asthma attack compared with 12 of 2,008 patients who received a placebo, meaning that there was one hospitalization for every 71 patients treated with a long-acting beta-agonist per year.
The Salpeters say that these two long-acting beta-agonists can result in death because tolerance to them develops over time.
"These agents can improve symptoms through bronchodilation at the same time as increasing underlying inflammation and bronchial hyper-responsiveness, thus worsening asthma control without any warning of increased symptoms," said Shelley Salpeter.
"It is particularly frightening that long-acting beta-agonists are detrimental, whether salmeterol or formoterol, whether taken alone or with anti-inflammatory drugs, both for children and for adults," said Ed Salpeter.
Researchers from Cornell and Stanford universities have concluded three common asthma inhalers containing the drugs salmeterol or formoterol may be causing four out of five U.S. asthma-related deaths per year and should be taken off the market.
The researchers made their recommendation after concluding a search of medical literature.
They base these conclusions on a statistical analysis of 19 published trials involving 33,826 patients. This so-called meta-analysis found that patients who inhaled the long-acting beta-agonists salmeterol (trade names Serevent and Advair, both made by GlaxoSmithKline) or formoterol (trade name Foradil, made by Novartis Pharmaceuticals) were 3.5 times more likely to die from asthma and 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized (whether or not death resulted), compared with those taking a placebo.
The reason, say the researchers, is because although these medications relieve asthma symptoms, they also promote bronchial inflammation and sensitivity without warning.
Asthma death is relatively rare, 15 patients in the meta-analysis who were taking the beta-agonists died, compared with three in the placebo group, over a six-month period.
"In total, there are about 5,000 deaths a year due to asthma, whether or not a person is taking a long-acting beta-agonist," said Edwin Salpeter, the J.G. White Distinguished Professor of Physical Sciences Emeritus at Cornell, who led the statistical analysis in the study.
An eminent astrophysicist, Salpeter has more recently focused his attention on medical statistics.
"We can show that overall it is statistically significant that, compared to patients taking a placebo, these long-acting beta-agonists kill a lot of people," he said.
"These asthma deaths are generally in healthy young adults," said his daughter, Shelley Salpeter, the lead author of the paper appearing online and in the June 20 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. She is a clinical professor of medicine at Stanford's School of Medicine and a physician at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, Calif.
"We estimate that approximately 4,000 out of the 5,000 asthma deaths that occur in the U.S. each year are actually caused by these long-acting beta-agonists, and we urge that these agents be taken off the market," she added.
Adding an anti-inflammatory drug to a long-acting beta-agonist adds little benefit, report the Salpeters.
Advair, for example, (the fourth bestselling drug in the world with $5.6 billion in annual sales), combines salmeterol with an anti-inflammatory drug to provide some protection against bronchial inflammation associated with beta-agonists. But hospitalizations still doubled for patients inhaling a long-acting beta-agonist combined with an anti-inflammatory drug compared with asthma patients taking a placebo and an anti-inflammatory drug by itself.
Of the 19 studies surveyed in the meta-analysis, the largest the Salmeterol Multicenter Asthma Research Trial with 26,000 participants reported a fourfold increased risk for asthma-related deaths and a twofold increase in life-threatening asthma events in patients using salmeterol.
If older people who also suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were removed from the analysis, the Salpeters report, salmeterol would be associated with a six times greater risk for asthma-related deaths.
The meta-analysis found that 53 of 3,083 patients inhaling beta-agonists were hospitalized for an asthma attack compared with 12 of 2,008 patients who received a placebo, meaning that there was one hospitalization for every 71 patients treated with a long-acting beta-agonist per year.
The Salpeters say that these two long-acting beta-agonists can result in death because tolerance to them develops over time.
"These agents can improve symptoms through bronchodilation at the same time as increasing underlying inflammation and bronchial hyper-responsiveness, thus worsening asthma control without any warning of increased symptoms," said Shelley Salpeter.
"It is particularly frightening that long-acting beta-agonists are detrimental, whether salmeterol or formoterol, whether taken alone or with anti-inflammatory drugs, both for children and for adults," said Ed Salpeter.
US FDA sets strong warnings for asthma drug labels
US FDA sets strong warnings for asthma drug labels
May 15, 2006 | Reuters
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that product labels for three popular asthma medications have been updated to state that the drugs could increase the chance of severe asthma attacks that could result in death.
The warnings, first proposed last November, involve long-acting bronchodilator medicines Advair and Serevent, made by GlaxoSmithKline Plc, and Foradil from Novartis AG.
In a public health advisory issued on its Web site, the FDA said the inhaled drugs should only be used after other medicines, such as inhlaed corticosteroids, fail to control asthma.
May 15, 2006 | Reuters
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that product labels for three popular asthma medications have been updated to state that the drugs could increase the chance of severe asthma attacks that could result in death.
The warnings, first proposed last November, involve long-acting bronchodilator medicines Advair and Serevent, made by GlaxoSmithKline Plc, and Foradil from Novartis AG.
In a public health advisory issued on its Web site, the FDA said the inhaled drugs should only be used after other medicines, such as inhlaed corticosteroids, fail to control asthma.
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