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EU health watchdog urges countries to boost fight against hepatitis

STORY: EU health watchdog urges countries to boost fight against hepatitis SHOOTING TIME: April 25, 2024 DATELINE: April 26, 2024 LENGTH: 00:00:57 LOCATION: Stockholm CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) 2. various of fact sheet of ECDC publication (credit: ECDC) 3. various of Stockholm street view STORYLINE: The European Union's (EU) health watchdog on Thursday urged its member states to boost testing for hepatitis B and C, which infected approximately 5.4 million people in Europe chronically. This could help prevent complications such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said. According to the center's latest estimate, around 3.6 million people in 30 countries in the EU/European Economic Area (EEA) are chronically infected with hepatitis B. A further 1.8 million people are estimated to have chronic hepatitis C. The prevalence of the disease varies considerably across countries and

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First settlement reached in hepatitis damages suits against state

FUKUOKA, Japan - A total of 29 hepatitis C sufferers suing the state and drugmakers for damages settled suits with the state in Osaka and Fukuoka on Feb. 4, the first such settlement among a series of similar lawsuits filed by about 240 people nationwide since 2002. Photo shows plaintiffs smiling during a news conference the same day after the settlement of their suit at the Fukuoka High Court.

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State ruled not responsible for hepatitis C

SENDAI, Japan - Chiyoko Komatsu, whose husband Tadao died after being administered tainted blood products, is moved to tears during a press conference in Sendai on Sept. 7. The Sendai District Court found the government not responsible for the case involving Komatsu and five other people.

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Law to offer comprehensive relief to hepatitis patients enacted

TOKYO, Japan - Eriko Fukuda (L), a House of Representatives lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, observes a plenary session of the House of Councillors on Nov. 30, 2009, as the upper house approves a law to offer financial support and other comprehensive relief to hepatitis patients. Fukuda led a group of hepatitis C patients in a lawsuit against the government and won her Diet seat in the August election.

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6-yr court battle over hepatitis C completed

TOKYO, Japan - Michiko Yamaguchi, representative of the plaintiffs group, signs an agreement with Nihon Pharmaceutical Co. at the drug firm's headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Dec. 14 to end a series of damages suits over tainted blood products that infected the patients with a hepatitis virus.

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6-yr court battle over hepatitis C completed

TOKYO, Japan - Tsutomu Miura (R), president of Nihon Pharmaceutical Co., bows in apology to a group of hepatitis patients, including plaintiffs' group representative Michiko Yamaguchi (L), at the drug firm's headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Dec. 14 after they signed an agreement to end a series of damages suits over tainted blood products that infected the patients with a hepatitis virus.

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6-yr court battle over hepatitis C completed

TOKYO, Japan - Tsutomu Miura, president of Nihon Pharmaceutical Co., signs an agreement with a group of hepatitis patients at the firm's headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Dec. 14 to end a series of damages suits over the drug firm's tainted blood products that infected the patients with a hepatitis virus.

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21 more plaintiffs reach settlement in hepatitis-C damages suit

TOKYO, Japan - Some of the 21 plaintiffs from 11 prefectures suing the state and drug makers for hepatitis-C damages respond to questions from reporters in Tokyo after they settled their suit with the state in Tokyo on Feb. 29.

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Gov't, hepatitis C patients sign accord to end legal battle

TOKYO, Japan - Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe (L) bows before the representatives of the plaintiffs in hepatitis C damages lawsuits against the state and drugmakers, at the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in Tokyo on Jan. 15 after the two sides signed a basic accord to end the protracted legal battle. The agreement is based on a law enacted last week offering blanket relief to those who contracted the liver illness through contaminated blood products such as fibrinogen which were administered to stop bleeding.

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Gov't, hepatitis C patients sign accord to end legal battle

TOKYO, Japan - Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe (R) shakes hands with Michiko Yamaguchi, leader of the plaintiffs in hepatitis C damages lawsuits against the state and drugmakers, at the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in Tokyo on Jan. 15 after the two sides signed a basic accord to end the protracted legal battle. The agreement is based on a law enacted last week offering blanket relief to those who contracted the liver illness through contaminated blood products such as fibrinogen which were administered to stop bleeding.

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Relief law enacted for hepatitis C sufferers

TOKYO, Japan - Plaintiffs in a hepatitis C damages case show their emotions Jan. 11 after the House of Councillors at a plenary session unanimously passed into law a bill that will offer blanket relief to people with hepatitis C caused by tainted blood products.

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Relief law enacted for hepatitis C sufferers

TOKYO, Japan - Japan's House of Councillors at its plenary session Jan. 11 unanimously passed into law a bill that will offer blanket relief to people with hepatitis C caused by tainted blood products. Plaintiffs (top, R) in the case observe the plenary session.

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Lower house passes hepatitis relief bill

TOKYO, Japan - Plaintiffs in a hepatitis C case bow in a gesture of gratitude in the gallery of the Japanese House of Representatives in Tokyo on Jan. 8. The lower house passed a bill the same day to offer blanket relief to people with hepatitis C caused by tainted blood products, paving the way for its passage through the opposition-controlled House of Councillors for enactment into law possibly later in the week.

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Lower house passes hepatitis relief bill

TOKYO, Japan - Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe bows in apology at a plenary session of the House of Representatives on Jan. 8 after the lower house unanimously approved a bill to offer blanket relief to people with hepatitis C caused by tainted blood products.

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Lower house passes hepatitis relief bill

TOKYO, Japan - A plenary session of the House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill on Jan. 8 to offer blanket relief to people with hepatitis C caused by tainted blood products, paving the way for enactment into law possibly later in the week in the opposition-controlled House of Councillors.

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Relief bill for hepatitis C sufferers submitted to Diet

TOKYO, Japan - Michiko Yamaguchi (R), a representative of the country's hepatitis C plaintiffs groups, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on Jan. 7. The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party submitted a bill to the Diet earlier in the day to offer blanket relief to people with hepatitis C contracted through tainted blood products.

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Talks focus on gov't responsibility for hepatitis C outbreak

TOKYO, Japan - Former Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Jiro Kawasaki, leader of a ruling coalition project team, talks to reporters in Tokyo on Dec. 27 after a meeting with lawyers representing people infected with hepatitis C via tainted blood products aimed at working out a bill to offer them blanket government relief. The talks focused on how the bill will mention the state's responsibility for the suffering of the hepatitis patients, participants said.

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Fukuda offers apologies to plaintiffs in hepatitis C case

TOKYO, Japan - Two combined photos shows Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (R) offering apologies to representatives (L) of the plaintiffs, who filed damages lawsuits against the state and drug makers over their contraction of hepatitis C through tainted blood products.

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Bill may cite gov't responsibility for hepatitis C infections

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda speaks to reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Dec. 24, indicating that special legislation to aid hepatitis C patients who were infected by tainted blood products would mention the state's responsibility for the infections.

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Ruling camp to craft bill to aid all hepatitis C sufferers

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda speaks to journalists at his office on Dec. 23. He said the ruling coalition parties will craft legislation to aid all hepatitis C sufferers who contracted the disease through tainted blood products.

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Ruling camp to craft bill to aid all hepatitis C sufferers: Fukuda

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda speaks to journalists at his office on Dec. 23. He said that the ruling coalition parties will craft legislation to aid all hepatitis C sufferers who contracted the disease through tainted blood products. ''As a result of consultations with the Liberal Democratic Party, we have decided to devise a lawmaker-initiated bill to aid all the sufferers uniformly,'' Fukuda said.

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Gov't rejects uniform compensation for all hepatitis C sufferers

TOKYO, Japan - Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe bites his lip during a press conference on Dec. 20 after his ministry rejected a proposal from hepatitis C sufferers that the government pay compensation uniformly to all people who contracted the disease through tainted blood products to settle a long-standing damages lawsuit out of court.

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Health minister apologizes to victims for hepatitis C infections

TOKYO, Japan - Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe (C) meets with a group of people who were infected with hepatitis C through a tainted blood product, in Tokyo on Dec. 4. Masuzoe offered an apology to them for the first time for the government's inaction over the infections.

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Court urges gov't to settle suits with hepatitis C patients

OSAKA, Japan - Tomoko Kuwata, one of 13 plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against the government and drug makers, wipes away tears in Osaka on Nov. 7 after the Osaka High Court called on the government and the drug makers to reach a negotiated settlement with the plaintiffs, who were infected with hepatitis-C through tainted blood products.

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Court urges gov't to settle suits with hepatitis C patients

TOKYO, Japan - Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe speaks to reporters at the parliament building in Tokyo on Nov. 7 after the Osaka High Court called on the government and drug makers to reach a negotiated settlement of damages lawsuits filed by people infected with hepatitis-C through tainted blood products.

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Court urges gov't to settle suits with hepatitis C patients

OSAKA, Japan - Plaintiffs seeking damages over hepatitis-C diseases enter the Osaka High Court to attend a court session on Nov. 7. The court called on the government and drug makers for a negotiated settlement of damages lawsuits filed by people who were infected with hepatitis-C through tainted blood products.

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Ministry finds initials, names of 118 hepatitis C patients

TOKYO, Japan - Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe (R) meets with Natsuki Hayama (C), president of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp., and Takeshi Komine (L), the company's vice president, at the health ministry on Oct. 22, after the ministry said it has found documents with the names or initials of 118 out of 418 people who developed hepatitis C through the administration of a tainted blood product, reversing its earlier claim that it had no data to confirm any of their identities. The product was manufactured by now-defunct Green Cross Corp., which was taken over by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma.

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Gov't again ordered to pay damages over hepatitis C virus infection

TOKYO, Japan - Plaintiffs and their supporters arrive at the Tokyo District Court on March 23 to hear a ruling on their damages suit. The court joined two other district courts in ordering the government to pay damages to people infected with the hepatitis C virus after being treated with tainted blood products.

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Gov't again ordered to pay damages over hepatitis C virus infection

TOKYO, Japan - Plaintiffs and their supporters express their joy on March 23 after the Tokyo District Court joined two other district courts in ordering the government to pay damages to people infected with the hepatitis C virus after being treated with tainted blood products. Presiding Judge Atsuo Nagano, acting on a 1,353 million yen damages suit, ordered the state and three drugmakers to pay a total of 259 million yen to 13 out of the 21 plaintiffs.

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State, drugmakers ordered to compensate over hepatitis C infections

OSAKA, Japan - Tomoko Kuwata (L) and Seiko Takeda, plaintiffs in a damages suit, hold a press conference after the Osaka District Court ruled on June 21 that the state and drugmakers were responsible for nine out of 13 people who were infected with the hepatitis C virus after being treated with tainted blood products. The ordered them to pay a total 256 million yen in damages.

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State, drugmakers ordered to compensate over hepatitis C infections

OSAKA, Japan - A man holds a ''victory banner' in front of the Osaka District Court on June 21 after the court ordered the state and drugmakers to pay a total 256 million yen in damages to nine out of 13 people who were infected with the hepatitis C virus after being treated with tainted blood products.

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State, drugmakers ordered to compensate over hepatitis C infections

OSAKA, Japan - Plaintiffs enter the Osaka District Court on June 21 before the court ordered the state and drugmakers to pay a total 256 million yen in damages to nine out of 13 people who were infected with the hepatitis C virus after being treated with tainted blood products.

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State, drug firms deny responsibility for hepatitis infection

OSAKA, Japan - Three plaintiffs, their lawyers and supporters walk into the Osaka District Court on Dec. 26 to attend the first hearing on a 170 million yen damages suit over hepatitis C they contracted after being treated with tainted unheated blood products. The government and two pharmaceutical companies denied responsibility for causing their disease.

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State, 3 drug firms sued over hepatitis infection

TOKYO, Japan - Lawyers for 16 plaintiffs, who filed damage suits against the state and three pharmaceutical companies, speak at a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 21. The plaintiffs contracted hepatitis C after being treated with tainted unheated blood products.

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Toshiba develops 'DNA chip' for interferon efficacy

TOKYO, Japan - Toshiba Corp. said Sept. 19 it has developed the prototype of a compact medical diagnosis equipment (handout photo) to help doctors judge whether interferon treatment is suitable for specific hepatitis C patients by examining individual characteristics of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of the patients. ''DNA Chip'' enables doctors to speedily decide whether interferon may be administered to a patient despite its side-effects, or if other treatment should be used, Toshiba said.

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Kono receives part of son's liver in transplant

TOKYO, Japan - Former Foreign Minister Yohei Kono (L) received part of his son's liver in an operation at Shinshu University Hospital in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, on April 16. Kono, 65, underwent the operation to treat liver cirrhosis because his hepatitis C has worsened. His 39-year-old son Taro (R) is parliamentary secretary at the Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry.

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