Metoclopramide is a drug commonly used to treat digestive tract problems such as diabetic gastroparesis and gastroesophageal reflux disorder. In 1980, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved metoclopramide tablets under the brand name Reglan. Generic manufacturers also began producing metoclopramide five years later. Over its usage history, evidence accumulated that long-term metoclopramide use …Read more

The applicant Ms. R.R., a Polish citizen, brought an action against the then Malopolska Regional Medical Insurance Fund and Dr. S.B. for failure to perform timely prenatal examinations and allow her the possibility of deciding whether to terminate her pregnancy with the conditions provided by law for the malformation of her child (Turner syndrome). The …Read more

Three applicants, two Irish nationals and one Lithuanian national, travelled to the United Kingdom in 2005 to have an abortion, each applicant believing they were not entitled to an abortion in Ireland. The first applicant decided to have an abortion to avoid jeopardizing her chances of reuniting her four previous children who were in foster …Read more

This case is an appeal from the High Court. An appeal from this case was dismissed by the Supreme Court in [2012] NZSC 68. A cross-appeal was filed by the respondent, the Right to Life New Zealand Inc (RTL), which asserted the lower court erred by finding the unborn child had no right to life and …Read more

In British Columbia (“BC”), the Medical Protections Act (“MPA”) prevents physicians who have opted out of BC’s public health care scheme from charging patients more than the amount charged for services under the public fee schedule. The Cambie Surgeries Corporation (“Cambie”) faced complaints of overbilling patients and “double dipping” – billing both the patient and …Read more

The applicant, G.Z. was diagnosed with Gaucher’s disease at the age of three. Gaucher’s disease was a rare disease which can only be successfully treated with the drug Cerezyme. If the disease was not treated, it could result in early death. G.Z’s parents claimed 100% reimbursement of the purchase costs of Cerezyme on G.Z’s behalf. …Read more

Six applicants brought forth a plea challenging the constitutionality of Article 50 of a 2008 law concerning diverse healthcare matters. The applicants sought to annul the modified “reference amounts” system introduced by Article 50. Three of the applicants, the Groupement des Unions professionelles belges de Médecins specialistes, the Association Belge des Syndicats Médicaux, and the …Read more

The QPC (Question prioritaire de constitutionnalité) process was created in France in 2008. It allows for preliminary rulings on the conformity of a legal provision with the Constitution. This disposition challenged the 2002 law (Paragraph I of section 1 of the Act of March 4th 2002) that states “No one shall claim he has sustained …Read more

This case was an appeal of a constitutional protection (amparo) action before the Constitutional Court filed by the Public Defender of Human Rights, acting on behalf of Luisa Fernanda Morales Tumax, against the Board of Directors of the Guatemalan Institute of Social Security. The patient, a minor, received a kidney transplant in 2000, when she …Read more

The Health Insurance Institute of Albania partially reimbursed the citizens of Albania for purchase of specific drugs that are included in the annually-published list. This list and the extent of the price coverage for the covered drugs was approved by a decision of the Albanian Council of Ministers (CoM). The Pharmaceuticals Distributors Association of Albania …Read more