Monday, March 21, 2016

March 2016 Updates





March 2016 Updates


The Quinolone Vigilance Foundation would like to share a few updates.
We received an update on Friday from one of the attorneys representing clients involved in the peripheral neuropathy cases. As you may know, the cases have been consolidated in Minnesota under a Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) with Chief Judge John Tunheim appointed to hear the cases. The MDL allows for cases to proceed much faster through consolidation in one court and through sharing of information. 
 
So far, there have been two status conferences in 2016 regarding the cases. They are held once a month. Status conferences are pre-trial meetings of attorneys before the judge to inform the court how the case is proceeding, what discovery has been conducted such as depositions, production of documents, etc. The next status conference is on March 15. 
 
The Avelox eye injury cases are going to trial in the fall of 2016. 
 
The FDA decision about the generic rule is still delayed. At last check, a decision is scheduled for July 2016 after being delayed twice. QVF continues to put pressure on the FDA to stop delaying the decision and allow generic drug makers to be held to the same standards of brand name drug makers.
 
We also brought in another national law firm whom are handling peripheral neuropathy cases. Information about that will be posted soon. We have confirmed that the attorneys are in good standing with the American Bar Association and we interviewed them extensively, per QVF policy. As always, we receive no funding or compensation of any kind from law firms. We provide information and updates strictly as a resource for patients. 
 
QVF also brought in new research. We are not naming the researchers or the university at this time to protect the integrity of the project. We have confirmed that the researcher does not, and will not, take pharmaceutical money to conduct the research. QVF's policy is that we do not work with researchers who have ties to the pharmaceutical industry. We will only say that the research is an avenue that has not yet been explored. 
 
We met with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention March 8th after receiving security clearances. The meeting went exceedingly well and we did not need to waste any time convincing CDC representatives that fluoroquinolone toxicity is a real issue and that it is damaging and killing patients. The focus of the meeting was about solutions rather than explaining the problem. The CDC is aware that the FDA is failing patients, that Medwatch is a flawed system, and post market surveillance is non-existent. The CDC is data and evidence-driven. There is also a new reporting system in development because the Medwatch system is not reliable or accurate.
 
QVF is providing data to the CDC and assisting the CDC on awareness/communication campaigns and research avenues. QVF will also be looped into conference calls and meetings so that we have an equal seat at the table from a patient's perspective. This is a big step and we are very proud to have opened these avenues.
 
None of this could have happened without your support and we thank you for helping to make all of this possible. We have made tremendous strides and we will continue to be your voice.
 


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