OSAKA (Kyodo) Twenty-nine hepatitis C sufferers settled damages suits filed against the government in Osaka and Fukuoka on Monday the first in a series of similar lawsuits filed by about 240 people nationwide since October 2002.

However, suits against drugmakers are still pending.

The settlement came after the plaintiffs and the government signed a basic accord in January under a newly enacted law on blanket relief measures to settle the suits out of court and end the legal battle.

The sufferers contracted the liver illness through contaminated blood products such as fibrinogen, which were administered to stop bleeding.

Now that they have settled with the state, the plaintiffs will shift the focus of negotiations to Osaka-based Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. and other drugmakers.

Meanwhile, the government needs to develop ways to implement support measures for hepatitis B and C patients who are not covered by the law enacted Jan. 15 to provide blanket relief to sufferers.

Under the law, victims will receive compensation ranging from ¥12 million to ¥40 million each depending on the severity of their condition.

Monday's settlements involved 13 people at the Osaka High Court, 15 at the Fukuoka High Court and one at the Fukuoka Summary Court.

Preceding the settlement at the Osaka High Court, plaintiff Satoko Kuwata, 48, said in a hearing that he was determined to effect change.

"Today's settlement is not a complete solution," Kuwata said. "I'd like to see permanent measures developed through research and new treatments as soon as possible so that no more lives of hepatitis patients are taken."

In addition to talking with the plaintiffs, the drugmakers are said to have been holding negotiations with the state about the amount of compensation to pay.