Tokyo District Court in CJD suit holds government and company responsible

In Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) lawsuits, the Tokyo District Court on
November 14 stated that the government and a German drug maker are
responsible for the disease caused by contaminated dura mater products
implanted in the patients during their brain surgery operations.

The lawsuits have been filed by 66 CJD patients and families of victims
demanding that the State and the drug company pay 2.9 billion yen in
compensation.

The district court in a statement said that the government should be held
responsible and must do all it can to provide relief to the victims and
prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

The plaintiffs and their supporters (who held a sit-in in front of the
Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in Tokyo) requested that the government
and the manufacturer accept the district court statement, apologize for
their negligence, implement relief measures as soon as possible, and take
concrete steps to prevent such tragedies from taking place again.

Tani San'ichi, the Otsu Lawsuit Plaintiffs Group head, said that the
district court statement represents the victims' sentiments that this must
be the end of the suffering from the drug. (end)