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IT'S FLU SEASON Don't let myths keep you from getting the vaccination. U.S. District Court - District of Massachusetts If You Paid for All or Part of Your Prescription Drugs Class Action Settlements May Affect What Consumers Pay for Thousands of Drugs in the Future. There are proposed Settlements of two lawsuits concerning what consumers pay for prescription drugs. What Are the Settlements About? First Data Bank (“FDB”) and Medi-Span publish data that may be used to determine consumer drug prices, reimbursement costs and co-pays for thousands of drugs. The lawsuits claim that FDB wrongfully inflated the Average Wholesale Price (“AWP") for thousands of drugs. This information was reported in FDB and Medi-Span’s printed and electronic databases. Therefore, some consumers and insurers allegedly overpaid for thousands of drugs. Am I Included in the Settlements? Persons who paid for all or part of their prescription drugs costs (from approximately 2000 to present) based on AWP pricing are included. If you paid a fixed co-payment you are not included. What Do the Settlements Provide? There is no money for consumers now. However, billions of dollars in drug costs may be saved in the This is only a Summary of the Settlements. For the Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlements: Call: 1-800-960-2381 Access: www.FDßMediSpanSettlement.com Write: FDB/Medi-Span Settlement Administrator c/o Complete Claim Solutions. LLC, P.O. Box 24730, West Palm Beach. FL 33416 mmm By DR.TEDD MITCHELL THIS TIME every year, I talk to my patients about the cold and influenza season and the need for a flu shot With most patients, the discussion is short. I remind them that flu season is just around the comer and that having the vaccination improves the odds of staying healthy. But for others, more explanation is needed to put them at ease about getting immunized. Occasionally, their reluctance is based on adverse experiences with the vaccination in the past. That’s understandable. However, some people who resist get- Legal Notice future. That is because FDB and Medi-Span will lower the mark up on thousands of drugs and will stop publishing the AWP data within two to three years. What Should I do? Get the complete information below and read it. Then you can decide on your legal rights to: • Remain in the Settlements by doing nothing. You will be bound by the Court’s rulings but you can object to or comment on the Settlements. • Exclude yourself and keep your right to sue FDB and Medi-Span. You must exclude yourself or object/comment in writing by December 21, 2007 as explained in the detailed Notice. Court-appointed Counsel represents you. They will be paid by FDB. You can also hire your own attorney and appear in Court. The Court will decide whether to approve the Settlements at the Fairness Hearings on January 22. 2008 at 2:00 p.m. A flu shot can’t give you the flu, but getting the shot can help keep the flu from spreading. 4. Being immunized by a flu shot or the inhaled Flu Mist (FDA approved only for healthy people ages 5 to 49) significantly re duces the risk of getting the flu. 5. Most folks who get the flu shot have no reaction. Up to 25% may have some redness and slight swelling at the site. A small percentage may experience a slight fever, chills and headache within 24 hours. These symptoms end within a few days. 6. The flu virus mutates from year to year, so a vaccination from last season is ineffective against this year’s strains. Flu fiction 1. Flu is just a bad cold. Hardly. Although it’s considered a res piratory infection, it affects the entire body, causing high fever (up to 104 F) that’s accompanied by body aches, headaches, nau sea and dehydration. Even after the infection is gone (it can last up to two weeks), people can be weak for several more days. 2. You can get the flu from the flu shot No, you can’t. The vac cine is not made from a live virus. 3. You can get the flu from wet hair or cold weather. No, you get the flu by coming into contact with someone who is infected. In the cold of winter, when people cluster indoors, exposure to the flu virus is more likely, but cold weather itself doesn’t cause the flu. 4. The flu shot is only for high-risk people. False. People at high risk definitely need the vaccination, but those at low risk also should get the shot to help keep the flu from spreading. 5. If I haven’t had the flu by December, I’m in the clear. Flu season can extend through May. Although it’s never too late in the season to get the shot, the ideal period for immunization is from mid-October to mid-November. □ Contributing Editor Tedd Mitchell, M.D., president and medical director of Dallas' Coojxr Clinic, writes Health Smart every week. 10 USA WEEKEND • Oct. 5-7,2007 ting immunized make up their minds based on myths about the flu and the flu shot. It is important to separate fact from fiction. Flu facts 1. Each year, 30,000 to 35,000 Americans die from the flu and its complications. 2. Because the flu is caused by a virus, anyone can get it 3. Kids under 5, adults over 50 and people with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis or heart disease, are at high risk for complications.