Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - 6 Oct 1995
In response to a suit by victims, the courts proposed the government and drug companies be held accountable for allowing the blood products to be distributed despite evidence they contained HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
About one-third of the original group of 219 plaintiffs have died since first bringing their action six years ago. They originally had asked for $1.2 million each. The courts said all those infected should be compensated.
The proposal by the Tokyo and Osaka district courts essentially orders the sides into an out-of-court settlement. The decision is not legally binding, but such orders are usually followed in Japan.
More than 2,000 Japanese, most of them hemophiliacs, were infected with the virus from American-made blood products between 1985, when U.S. medical authorities warned of possible infections, and 1987, when Japan took action.
Critics have said the government dragged its feet until Japanese companies developed the technology to treat the blood rather than use American methods.
Copyright 1995/The Associated Press. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, The Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
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Copyright © 1995 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
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