Ill. Appeals Court Says JAMA Peer Reviewer Identities, Communications Are Privileged

CHICAGO — An Illinois appellate court has reversed an order requiring divestiture of the identities and communications of peer reviewers for the Journal of the American Medical Association in a Zantac case, ruling that the plaintiff failed to meet the qualifications set by the state’s privilege statutes.

In an Oct. 27 opinion, the Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District, explained that the qualified privilege may only be divested by the court in certain limited circumstances, which are not present in the instant case.

Nathan Gibbons sued Zantac maker GlaxoSmithKline and other pharmaceutical companies, alleging Zantac (ranitidine) caused his cancer. His action …