Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utcsrgv.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!peterr
From: peterr@utcsrgv.UUCP (Peter Rowley)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.med
Subject: Cdn awarded $800,000 for stroke from Pill
Message-ID: <3977@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Apr-84 01:32:32 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.3977
Posted: Fri Apr 20 01:32:32 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Apr-84 03:29:33 EST
Organization: CSRG, University of Toronto
Lines: 15

Today, a Canadian court awarded $800,000 to a Toronto woman who claimed that
she should have been warned by the maker of her oral contraceptive that it
could result in a stroke, such as she had.  The judgement held that there
was substantive evidence linking The Pill and stroke and that this should
have been indicated on the product's packaging and in literature provided
by the co. (Ortho Pharmaceutical) to doctors.  Ortho might appeal the
decision.

This is the largest such settlement in a Canadian court.  It certainly gives
one pause when thinking about taking any drug, but particularly one which has
such a profound effect on the body as oral contraceptives do.  It also makes
me mad that a company has to be taken to court to do the right thing;  those
who decry government regulation should consider this.

p. rowley, U. Toronto