GE Drops UK Libel Suit Over Omniscan
GE Healthcare has dropped a libel suit it filed in the United Kingdom (UK) against a Danish researcher who had who warned its gadolinium contrast dye was associated with nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in 2007.
Henrik Thomsen began speaking out about NSF and its association with gadolinium dyes after about 30 patients at Copenhagen University Hospital developed the condition. GE Healthcare’s libel suit alleges that Thomsen claimed the company marketed Omniscan despite knowing about its adverse side-effects; suppressed the information and concealed it from radiologists; and exposed patients who were administered Omniscan to the danger of NSF. GE Healthcare alleged the defamation occurred during a 15-minute presentation Thomas made to fellow radiologists in 2007 at Oxford University, and in statements made in an article published in Thomsen’s name in the journal Imaging Management.
In a press release announcing its settlement with Thomsen, GE Healthcare said it was not its intention to stifle academic debate. The company said it objected to statements made by Thomsen which it interpreted as suggesting that it had known from the outset that Omniscan caused NSF. The company said it now accepts his concerns were expressed in good faith.
