Dennis Quaid Sues Drug Maker
Actor Dennis Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, filed a lawsuit today against Baxter Healthcare Corp.—the makers of herapin, a blood thinning medication over-administered to the couple’s newborn twins. In what is billed a “product liability lawsuit,” filed in Baxter’s home state of Illinois, the family asks for over $50,000 in damages. According to Susan Loggans, the family’s lawyer, the twins are now at home and seem to be in good health. “The Quaids are a religious family, and they really believe the prayers of the public saved their kids," Ms. Loggans added.
The medical mishap occurred on Nov. 18 at L.A.’s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The drug manufacturer is to blame for the nightmare, they claim, because its packaging makes it difficult to differentiate between unlike doses. The suit also points to three Indianapolis children killed last year after being given too large a dose. Despite all of the recent disasters involving herapin, Baxter Healthcare has not yet recalled the drug for repackaging.
“The point of this case is to save other children from this fate. They're not looking for money," said Ms. Loggans.
Medication over and misdosage is preventable-see attached
Please forward to Mr. Quaid
Digitalized Prescription System/US Patent Pending #20040162740
Problems: CONFIDENTIAL
A. Bio-terrorism: Local bio-terrorism now is an ever present threat for which there is little prospective monitoring system to locate, identify and rectify a potential outbreak.
B. Drug abuse, drug interactions, drug over-dosage exist and there is no system of immediate surveillance; where B intersects A is a solution as each is a portal to the other in this system. (USA: B. Over 100K deaths costing over $75B per year, A. Death costs: INCALCULABLE).
C. A more accurate system for monitoring outbreaks and trends of disease.
Solutions-Components to be integrated:
Integrate existing secure databases in real time continuum with arm to reach into system at any point in time -see diagram
• Drug Database: Each drug has a NDC or UPC number identifying the product. Specific drug information may be codified to narrow window on probabilities.
• Patient Database: Each patient has an identifying number–such as Social Security Number.
• Health Professional Database: Each prescribing health professional has an identifying number (Federal DEA number, NPI or state license number) which is location specific.
• Pharmacist Database: Each dispensing pharmacist has an identifying number (Federal DEA or state license number) which is location specific.
Feature: This system requires no additional biometrics to achieve the stated goals.
Accomplishments of this system
• We could monitor bio-terrorism in real time by measuring any changes (delta) in the local population prescription usage. The type of prescriptions will ascertain the general problems arising in the local population.
• We could virtually eliminate fraud and abuse in the prescription writing system.
• We would drastically reduce the number of adverse drug interactions to prescription medications and would advance FDA adverse reaction notification via the secure intranet. Clearly the ONLY “privacy” issues are with those caught in the act of committing a crime.
• We could provide the health professional with valuable data on his patients use or abuse of prescription medication-by a method of feedback.
• We would provide the pharmacist with a tool to fulfill his mandate to curb prescription interaction and abuse. Clearly, this will make prescription refills easier and safer via the internet.
• Provide a unique system for the identification of disease patterns in any community thus tracking both common and obscure or unique epidemics.
Medical Errors are at epidemic levels. Over 200,000 die each year and hundreds of thousands more are effected with prolonged stays and effects. The cost due to medical hospital errors is around $50 billion yearly. I am pleased to see that the Quaid twins are doing good. I have twin grandsons myself. I prayed for the Quaids twins when I heard and it is great to have seen them at home doing well.
If interested in being involved in the deterence of all medical errors including medication errors Dennis Quaid should go to www.mederr.com and contact.