But Don't Let the Injured Patients Sue

A stunning little news item from yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer:

West Chester medical device manufacturer Synthes Inc. and its Norian Corp. subsidiary formally pleaded guilty today to charges that they illegally experimented with a spinal bone cement on patients and will pay fines totaling $23.2 million.
Synthes also agreed to sell Norian and enter a corporate integrity agreement, according to an agreement reached with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Norian tested the cement from 2002 to 2004 on 200 patients without approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Three of the patients died on the operating table.
Prosecutors say the companies sought profits over patient safety.

This is just the latest example of corporations willfully disregarding public safety in the pursuit of profit - the same corporations that lobby for "tort reform" and spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the recent midterm elections to elect "pro-business" candidates to Congress.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/breaking/business_breaking/20101130_Synthes_enters_guilty_plea_in_bone-cement_case.html#ixzz16tgyA1Ab