The Pebble and the Avalanche

Suing to Change a Diagnosis?

If this article is true (found via Techdirt), I believe I can promise the tactic will backfire. I find very unsettling the idea that a doctor can be sued to change his diagnosis to conform to a corporation's dogma. On the other hand, I have to commend Taser for fighting against unlawful-death lawsuits and sticking up for their product even if it does mean suing doctors in court; few enough companies seem to do this nowadays.

Society expects that a doctor's judgment be rendered without any outside pressure; just look at the furor over hypothetical conflicts of interest when doctors receive grant money from drug companies. If a company attempts to reverse the disaggregation of medical opinion from corporate interests, they will eventually face not just public opprobrium but in all likelihood Congressional attention.

One word of warning: add a grain of salt to the newspaper article. Reporters as a class seem to believe quite sincerely that doctors' integrity is under assault from corporations; I have to wonder if this corporation's side of the case is fairly represented.

Topics:  · business

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