Denmark Health Minister to Compensate NSF Victims
In Copenhagen, Denmark the health minister has promised compensation to kidney patients who contracted Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis after being administered Omniscan, a contrast agent used in MRI to enhance tissue images. Here in the states there are also a number of lawsuits against the 5 manufacturers of gadolinium contrasting agents including the makers of Omniscan. NSF is characterized by the progressive hardening of skin and joints and sometimes internal organs that often result in the inability to move about without a wheelchair. Currently there is no treatment for the condition. Attorneys for the victims in the United States have asked for the suits to be prioritized because some of their plaintiffs are in dire circumstances while others have already perished from the debilitating disorder. As for Jakob Axel Nielson, the health minister in Denmark he says,
“The least we can do for these deeply ill people, who unfortunately became more sick after being administered Omniscan, is to identify them and offer compensation.”In an effort to identify any other victims Nielson has asked all the health regions to carry out extensive studies into kidney patients to discover if more qualify for compensation.
