European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 16, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes . Tuesday August 16, 1994deadly drug tests prompt suits Washington apr the tragedy of an experimental liver drug that killed five patients last summer is heading to court As victims relatives and survivors argue that scientists should have known the drug was deadly. The highly unusual lawsuits Challenge the traditional immunity that Shields researchers when experiments go awry. Critics Hope the move will change the Way drug testing is done. A a there a not enough safety built into the human clinical trials process contended Paul Melstrom of Phoe Fiat had shown great Promise for fighting hepatitis a an incurable virus that can cause deadly cirrhosis and liver cancer. Then in june 1993, Fiat began killing patients in a National institutes of health study. Five died and two survived Only after liver transplants. The Nih maintains there was no Way scientists could have predicted Fiaux a toxicity. But the food and drug administration cited scientists in May for missing warning signs including five additional deaths dating to the drugs earliest trials in 1990. Now victims want the. Courts to decide which Agency is right. Three Federal lawsuits have been filed by Melstrom and relatives of the late virginians Scott Mertins and Marty Hobart. Lawyers Are preparing at least two other suits. Moreover the advocacy group Public citizen is suing Fiaux a maker Eli Lilly and co., and the Fra seeking secret documents not Only about Fiat but on How Many other experimental drugs have killed. Experts say its probably not unusual to miss Early toxicity warnings. A whenever you be got a disease for which there Isnit really a treatment there a tremendous pressure to get a drug into trials and get it into the Market. That was the Case Here a said Christine Carrico of the american association of pharmaceutical scientists. Lilly which did no to return Calls about the lawsuits insists that it followed Federal testing regulations and that Fiaux a warnings were missed because they mimicked diseases. But critics say signs of trouble a liver changes in animal studies people who died in Fiat trials starting in 1990, symptoms such As Melstrome a in 1992 and finally healthy people who got sick testing Fiat in 1993 a weren t reported to government regulators promptly a when someone takes a drug and their condition worsens you consider it an Adverse drug reaction until proven otherwise a said Public citizens or. Sidney Wolfe. Still its unusual for drug trials to result in lawsuits because patients who participate must first sign consent forms outlining the risks. A when they sign those they accept those risks a Carrico said. Attorneys will argue the consent forms were inadequate As the Fra has said. They done to warn of death or permanent injury. In fact some forms say Fiat had been  do however list some Side effects. One form frankly says a there May be risks for  in the stars and stripes 10 years ago aug. 16,1984 a a . Navy ship carrying four mine sweeping helicopters sailed through the Suez canal in route to join British and French minesweepers in a Mission to destroy explosives in the Gulf of Suez and the red sea. 20 years ago aug. 16,1974 a a gunman killed the wife of South korean president Park Chung Hee and a teen age schoolgirl during an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Park As he delivered a televised speech in a crowded Seoul theater. 30 years ago aug. 16,1964 a president Johnson assailed Barry Goldwater on the question of nuclear weapons in Vietnam accusing the Republican presidential candidate of Loose charges and doing a disservice to National Security peace and the free world. 40 years ago aug. 16,1954 a sen. Joseph Mccarthy in a move that could delay the aug. 30 Start of Senate hearings on the Wisconsin Republican s conduct demanded that sen. Ralph Flanders r-vt., return from his european vacation to repeat his censure charges against Mccarthy under oath. World War ii 50 years ago today aug. 16 19 a 4 �4 while . Troops consolidate the beachhead free French troops land in the South of France to take the Lead in beginning the Long March North toward the German Border. In Normandy Canadian soldiers fight their Way into Falaise where the germans Are dug into the ruins of a town pulverized by Allied bombing. British forces in the Norman coastal sector attack toward the Seine River. Source 2194 Days of War. W. H. Smith publishers inc. The world almanac of world War ii Bison books corp., 1981 a Cigar Loving or. Frank Oliveto prepares to take a crack at another Jackpot saturday on the same Slot machine that won him a record $8.5 million at a new Jersey Casino. Surgeon sews up record Jackpot a Atlantic City . Apr a surgeons penchant for cigars paid off in a big Way with an $8.5 million Jackpot a record for this Casino resort City. Shunned from a nonsmoking Blackjack table in bal Lye a grand Casino hotel or. Frank Oliveto moved to a 1 Slot machine saturday to play for a megabucks Jack of. When someone drops a Dollar in any of the 186 megabucks Slot machines in the City a 12 casinos a pooled Jackpot increases. It had been accumulating since the previous record $3,9 million prize was paid out in november 1992, said Pam Sinderbrand a spokeswoman for International game technology which manufactures megabucks machines. Oliveto 54, received the first of 20 annual checks for $427,275 on saturday Sinderbrand said. A smoking is bad for your health but its Good for my pocketbook a said Oliveto of port Jefferson . The orthopaedic surgeon went to the megabucks machine with $100 in Dollar coins. He had played about $80 and won Back roughly $35 before hitting the $8.5 million on a $3 Wager. While the winnings wont Send him into instant retirement Oliveto plans to fish play Golf build a new House and pay some Bills. He and his wife have three children in College. Sex police detective working for Simpson reported under probe los Angeles apr the Fri is  former new York City police detective who is now with . Simpsons defense team time Magazine reported sunday. The Magazine said John Mcnally 60, is under Fri scrutiny but it gave no details of the investigation. Fri spokesman Ernie Porter telephoned sunday in Washington d.c., said he had no information on any Mcnally investigation. A of course they re not going to like me. I show up in every big Case a the Magazine quoted Mcnally As saying about the investigation. Earlier this month the California department of consumer affairs announced it had opened an investigation into Mcnally and two other detectives working for Simpsons defense. The announcement followed complaints that the private detectives Lack state licenses and Are taking jobs away from California investigators. A a a meanwhile the air conditioning failed at parts of the downtown jail sunday including in the Ward where Simpson is being held. Outside the Mercury hovered near100 degrees. Inside parts of the county facility warmed to 80 degrees. Rich Erickson said menus Central jail workers were  to work on the system around the clock. He expected it to be up and running by Early in the week. He said the 5,700 prisoners at the jail were allowed extra showers and were being Given plenty to drink. Erickson would not discuss Simpsons status or whether he had been moved because he a suffering from swollen Lymph nodes. Test results of a 5,?y the Lymph nodes taken last week had not been disclosed As of sunday evening. 1,f?Rmer eos Angeles rams Star Roosevelt Grier visited Simpson for ing signer said they spent their time Reading the Bible and Pray a a he a getting on Fine. He a Healing a Grier said. Asked if the heat in the jail affected them he said a we did no to pay attention to the  m.vit/r0" 6�es in trial sept. 19 in the slashing deaths of his sex wife Nicole Brown Simpson 35, and her Friend Ronald Goldman 25. Robbery suspect on the Lam Breaks legs in roof jump Boston apr a robbery suspect being chased by police tried to Himpe off a roof onto a Telephone pole but missed and fell three stories breaking both legs one Arm and several ribs. Christopher Bibbo 32, was under guard in the intensive care unit of Massachusetts general Hospital on sunday. A Christopher Bibbo was a one Man crime wave yesterday morning a Boston police sgt. Keith Carlson said. Y mining no Start when a police officer was flag8ed Down by a passer by and told a robbery was m Progress Carlson said. As he fleeing Bibbo the officer ordered him to Stop then fired at him floor a pm Carlson  Ove th�8h window of a Tat the in upstairs in door of a third floor apartment and a main Man 6 a by to t0 the top no f i ,gt1boring building and trying to leap onto a nearby Telephone pole Carlson said. He intended to slide Down the pole to the Street said Boston police sgt. Paul Ivens. A but he  police said Bibbo would be arraigned at the Hospital on armed robbery assault with a dangerous weapon and other charges