› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
In June 2009, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s Revised Japanese Pharmaceutical Law will come into effect, banning the online purchase of many over-the-counter drugs in Japan. The measure hopes to cut down on the more than 300 cases of negative side effects caused by over-the-counter drugs each year in Japan, according to The Mainichi Daily News.
“Each day is a victory,” writes Lisa Oakes, sister of Kim Oakes, the Canadian animal control officer who took antibiotics for a cat bite last month and ended up in the hospital struggling for life. Kim had suffered a rare adverse reaction to a commonly prescribed antibiotic which resulted in toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), a severe form of Steven Johnson Syndrome (SJS). Since we first told you about Kim, the family has formed the Kim Oake Support Group on Facebook to provide updates on Kim’s struggle and to educate others about the debilitating condition usually caused by over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen, and antibiotics.
