US HIV Hemophiliacs Offered $640 Million Compensation

Four pharmaceutical companies in the USA have offered compensation totaling $640 million to US hemophiliacs infected with HIV as a result of the administration of contaminated blood products during the 1980s.

Of the four, Bayer would contribute $288 million of the total, while Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and Baxter International would pay $128 million each and Green Cross Corp would pay $16 million. The total also includes $40 million to cover administration and legal costs. The offer, which would be worth an estimated $100,000 to each of the plaintiffs, will be withdrawn if more than 100 of them decide to reject it and pursue compensation independently through the courts.

The companies say they expect to hear within a month whether the offer has been accepted by the majority of the plantiffs, according to a Baxter release.