Activism

Drug Company SLAPP's Over Lindane For Lice

The specialty drug manufacturer Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals has filed a legal suit against the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The drug company is upset at the Center's opposition to the continued use of lindane as a fallback treatment for head lice.

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Another Setback for Logging Company's $A6.9 Million SLAPP

Victorian Supreme Court judge Justice Bernard Bongiorno has struck out the third statement of claim in a SLAPP suit by the Australian logging company Gunns. In December 2004, Gunns initiated the legal action against 20 environmentalists and environmental groups, over their campaign against the logging of old-growth and wilderness forests.

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Hill & Knowlton Reveal Who They Don't Work For

While Hill & Knowlton are often coy about who they do work for, this week they issued a media release stating that they didn't work for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "At Hill & Knowlton, we work hard to protect the reputations of our clients.

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Drug Company's Hearing Too Sensitive For Criticism

Tebonin Pharmacy PromotionOne of the marketing success stories in the world of herbal pills is the hype and advertising that has made Tebonin one of the big-time sellers. If you believe the ads, popping a Tebonin pill a day will relieve tinnitus (the ringing sound some people have in their ears), dizziness and even improve mental alertness. The promoters claim the drug, which is based on a patented extract from the ginkgo biloba tree, improves "impaired micro-circulation," reduces "free radicals" and "promotes optimum cell function."

According to the German manufacturer, Dr. Willmar Schwabe GmbH & Co KG, eight million pills are consumed every day. Schwabe, like so many companies in the herbal supplements sector, trades on its feel-good image. "From Nature, For Health," its website claims. That's the story the company wants you to hear. However, when a small group of Australian doctors and pharmacists, AusPharm Consumer Health Watch, drafted a report raising doubts about the benefits of Tebonin, they discovered a company that was not so warm and fuzzy. Soon after sending a copy of their draft report to the company, they were hit with a writ seeking an injunction that may bury their critical assessment forever.

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