The court awarded a total of ¥168 million in compensation to 11 patients.

It was the second court ruling to find the state and the drug makers responsible, following one by the Osaka District Court on June 21, according to court spokeswoman Satomi Matsuzaki.

In the latest ruling, the court dismissed seven other plaintiffs' claims, citing either insufficient evidence of use of the blood-clotting medication or the administration of other blood-clotting drugs.

More than 80 patients have filed similar lawsuits at five courts across the country. The plaintiffs say they contracted the disease while using defective blood-clotting medicines, mostly in the 1980s.

The Japan Times Weekly: Sept. 9, 2006
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