Patient Insurance convicted of utterances about drug

Dental Association's Patient Insurance has today been sentenced to pay CMS Dental 2.5 million. million in damages.

The judgment has fallen in a case concerning an article in Dentistry magazine from 2005. The article advised the President of the Dental Association's Patient Insurance dentists to be careful when they used 4% articaine with bedøvelser in the lower jaw.

The judgment does not clarify whether there is a greater risk of using articaine than using other anesthetic agents for anesthesia in the mandible.

Dental Association's Patient Insurance takes note of the judgment.

President of the Dental Association's Patient Insurance, Dental Jahn Legarth, said:

- When I was invited to write article for Tandlægebladet had previously been written in the magazine on articaine. Pharmaceutical Insurance Association was informed, and thus there was also passed information to the Medicines Authority, which is responsible for drug safety. I do not know what I would have done if I had known beforehand that the article would lead to a lawsuit that has had great personal cost to me.

Dental Association President Susanne Andersen says:

- The judgment includes some scary prospects. It will be important for us, medical associations and other health organizations. We are concerned that the High Court's judgment will be seen as a restriction of free speech in the health care debate about possible adverse effects of drugs. The judgment does not change that it is the individual dentist's duty to advise his patients as possible and report adverse reactions to the Medicines Agency.

Dental Association's Patient Insurance has not yet ruled on whether the judgment should be appealed.

Dental Association and the Dental Patient Insurance Association has no further comments to the judgment.