Dog Bites – Average Claim Tops $24,000

Man’s best friend is sinking its teeth into homeowners insurance costs. Dog bites now account for one-third of all homeowners insurance liability claims, costing $356.2 million in 2007, up 10.5 percent from the previous year, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.). An analysis of homeowners insurance data by the I.I.I. found that the average cost of dog bite claims increased by 11.5 percent in 2007 (the most recent figures available) to $24,511. Since 2003, the cost of these claims has risen nearly 28 percent. However, the actual number of claims paid by insurers has remained relatively stable over the past three years at about 14,500. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs annually, resulting in an estimated 800,000 injuries that require medical attention. With more than 50 percent of bites occurring on the dog owner’s property, the issue is a major source of concern for insurers. “While the number of dog bite claims has remained about the same in the last three years, the average cost per claim continues to rise because of increased medical costs as well as the size of settlements, judgments and jury awards which have risen well above inflation in recent years,” said Loretta Worters, vice president of the I.I.I.

Please click on the link below to read the Insurance Journal article:

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2008/06/25/91347.htm

For more information on dog bite matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at The Citron Law Firm, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.

Myriad Genetics Stops Work on Alzheimer’s Drug

A drug under development by Myriad genetics to treat Alzheimer’s disease failed in a closely watched late-stage clinical trial, dealing another blow to efforts to combat the illness. Myriad said the drug, called Flurizan, did not improve thinking ability by a statistically significant amount compared with a placebo. Nor did it improve the ability of patients to carry out daily activities. The company, based in Salt Lake City, said it would discontinue development of the drug. The failure is significant because Flurizan was one of the first drugs to reach late-stage testing that was seen as working by trying to prevent the buildup of toxic amyloid plaques in the brain. Such plaques are the focus of the leading theory for the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. The drug’s failure might cast some new doubt on that theory as well as on other experimental drugs to block amyloid plaques.

Please click on the link below to read the New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/business/01gene.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=health&adxnnlx=1215091459-8YYOwBpfQSq6L+ESsrOqig

For more information on defending medical malpractice and nursing home matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at The Citron Law Firm, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.