Across the nation, dozens of lawsuits against manufacturers of generic drugs have been dismissed because of a decision by the Supreme Court a year ago that makes it all but impossible to sue them for failing to provide adequate warning of a drug's dangers.

Name-brand manufacturers are required by the F-D-A to update their labels when new safety issues arise, but makers of generics are not.

Attorney Gary Leppla of Dayton, Ohio, represented the family of a young woman who had an adverse reaction to a drug and died.



Nearly 80 percent of all prescriptions in the U-S are filled with generic drugs.

Proposed legislation now in Congress would require makers of generics to update their warning labels when a new safety issue arises.