Concerns with finding expert witnesses may slow down bringing the lawsuit to court, reports Irish Examiner.
Michael Boylan, managing partner at Augustus Cullen Law and head of its medical negligence group, said there are challenges recruiting expert witnesses because of the links many have with major pharmaceutical companies and with various health product regulatory agencies.
Regulatory authorities, including in Ireland, licensed the use of Pandemrix, a vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline, to combat the H1N1 virus.
“Without being conspiratorial, very many of the experts in this area have connections with ‘big pharma’; in other words, drug companies who funded their research. A lot of them are also involved with the regulatory agencies who licensed their research. So it’s been a long search to get the experts,” Mr Cullen said.
