A settlement is expected to be reached shortly in a 10-year legal action by a group of haemophiliacs against the manufacturers of blood products which infected them with HIV.
The drug companies at the centre of the case are believed to have made an increased offer of £4 million, excluding legal costs, to the group of 60 haemophiliacs.
The figure represents a 33 per cent increase on a previous offer last year, and is more than double an original offer of £1.8 million in November 1998.
According to a report in the Sunday Business Post yesterday, all but one of the group of 60 have accepted the terms of the settlement.
Unanimous agreement, however, has been sought by the companies, which have agreed to pay compensation on the basis that they do not have to admit liability.
The haemophiliacs have faced numerous difficulties since the High Court ruled in August 1993 that their action had to be taken in this jurisdiction. They had sought for a stay on proceedings in Ireland and applied unsuccessfully for their claims to be heard in New York courts under US law.
Three firms were named in the initial action: Armour Pharmaceutical Company Inc, Pennsylvania, which has since been taken over by Aventis; Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Illinois, and Miles Laboratories, Indiana, which has since been bought out by the Bayer Group.
Baxter and Armour are expected to bear the brunt of compensation costs as they provided most of the blood products used by haemophiliacs in the State in the 1980s, when the majority of infections occurred.
Not all haemophiliacs who were infected with HIV are participating in the action. An estimated 105 were infected in the period up to December 1986, 60 of whom have since died.
They, or their next-of-kin, will be able to avail of separate compensation under a new HIV payments tribunal to be established shortly.
Legislation allowing for the extra compensation is scheduled to be introduced later this year.
