Features
CA Governor Signs Harshest Anti-Spam Bill in U.S.
He may be voted out of office soon, but California Governor Gray Davis is making his mark in the Internet world before he goes. On September 23, Davis signed what to date is the toughest anti-spam bill in the U.S.
Features
Non-Prescription Drug Ad Restructions Eased in UK
The latest from the UK.
<i>Daubert </i>Tool Lets Lawyers Track History of Experts
Expert testimony can be the linchpin that makes or breaks a case. But lawyers have had a tougher time getting that testimony admitted since 1993, when the U.S. Supreme Court decided in <i>Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals</i> that scientific testimony must be not only relevant, but reliable. In 1999's <i>Kumho Tire v. Carmichael</i>, the Court extended that rule to all experts. This means that a lawyer preparing to qualify or challenge an expert at trial must answer a number of questions. What is the state of the case law under <i>Daubert</i>? How has the particular court or judge applied the rule? How have courts ruled on this type of expertise? Has this expert ever come before a judge?
Counterfeit Drugs: FDA Suggests New Counter Measures
<b><i>No 'Magic Bullet,' Says Task Force</i></b> The FDA's Counterfeit Drug Task Force issued its interim report on October 2. It contains potential options for a multi-pronged approach to combat counterfeit drugs. In recent years, the FDA has seen an increase in the number and sophistication of efforts to introduce counterfeit drugs. The FDA noted at the time the report was issued that the problem of counterfeit drugs is being treated separately from the problem of unapproved and potentially unsafe drugs that are being imported via the Internet and other unregulated international channels. Under current law, those drugs are purchased outside of U.S. and foreign consumer protection systems, so they are "buyer beware" products that have traveled outside of the regulatory protections of the legal U.S. drug distribution system.
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