> The Supreme Court has rejected Philip Morris' appeal of a historic $79.5 million suit in Oregon. The tobacco giant appealed to the Supreme Court in an effort to block a large precedent-setting award where the plaintiff accused Philip Morris of massive fraud because it downplayed warnings that cigarettes can be hazardous to your health. The plaintiff's husband, a three pack a day smoker, died of complications from lung cancer in 1997. The award is now $145 million with accrued interest. Article
> Prescription drugs, particularly methadone, are the leading cause of overdoses in Oregon, according to the state medical examiner, Dr. Karen Gunson. Many of those who died from methadone overdoses were in their 30s and 40s, and legitimately taking the prescription drug for bad backs, headaches, fibromyalgia or other sources of pain. Article
> PBS' Frontline has posted "Sick Around America," its new documentary on the state of U.S. healthcare, on its website. It includes interviews with several leading stakeholders in the healthcare industry, including Sam Nussbaum, executive vice president of WellPoint, and Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, among many others. Article
And finally... Newly laid off New Yorkers rallied each other in the East Village by organizing the Olympics for the Unemployed yesterday. To participate, would be "Olympians" had to present a letter of termination from their former employer, or an unemployment card. Article