Will the Supreme Court Immunize Big Pharma?

Dear In These Times reader,

On Nov. 3, one day before the presidential election, the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on a little-known case with huge consequences: Whether FDA approval of a drug immunizes that drug's producer from patient lawsuits.

Senior Editor Terry Allen, In These Times' investigative health and science columnist, details what's at stake in High Court May Immunize Big Pharma. Consumers’ right to sue for drug-caused injuries dates back more than 150 years, Allen writes, but in 2006, the FDA quietly introduced a new doctrine of "preemption" into its regulations. Read her story here.

And head over to InTheseTimes.com now for this week's Web-only articles and news and commentary from our October issue:

Feminism Without Feminism. Susan Douglas details "Pit Bull Feminism" and Sarah Palin in this brand-new Web-only column.

McCain's Feminist Mistake. In a Web column that's received much attention since it was published Sunday, Susan Levine, president of In These Times' Board of Directors, writes: "This current election has revealed that the old rifts still exist. Women, it turns out, have never agreed on political priorities any more than men have."

Read Levine's article -- and readers' often angry comments -- here.

Thindwa on Air America. At 12:45 p.m. EST Friday, James Thindwa, treasurer of In These Times's Board of Directors and a contributor to the magazine, will appear on The Thom Hartman Program on Air America to discuss Iraq and the sagging U.S. economy. Tune in online here during your lunch hour.

Finally, join In These Times at "The Labor Movement and Progressive Politics in the Post-Bush Era," an event we're co-sponsoring in Chicago Oct. 1 with the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America. Details are here.

Thanks as always for your financial support!

All the best,

Jeremy Gantz

Web editor

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