SPIN, SPIN, SPIN! The sad part in this is there are too many people stupid enough to get this vaccine despite the fact it is killing and crippling people.
*****
Calls for calm amid flu jab scare
Updated 10 hours 3 minutes ago
The AMA is concerned general immunisation rates will fall
The AMA hopes people will not be put off immunising their children despite suspension of the flu shot program. (ABC News)
The Australian Medical Association in WA is hoping a nation-wide ban on flu shots for small children will not affect overall immunisation rates.
Australian doctors have been warned not to give the seasonal flu vaccine to children under the age of five, after a child fell critically ill and dozens more suffered serious adverse reactions after receiving the vaccine in Western Australia.
Other states, including Queensland and South Australia, are also reporting incidents of children being hospitalised and having adverse reactions such as fevers and convulsions.
The vaccine supplier, CSL, has stopped its distribution while it investigates the matter.
Gary Geelhoed from the AMA says while he understands parents' concerns, it is important to remember the benefits of immunisation.
"We would certainly continue to advise parents to have the appropriate vaccination of their children," he said.
"At the same time we need to investigate any possible side effects or downsides, and that's what's happening at the moment.
"But we have to remember that the benefits of vaccinations far, far, far outweigh any side effects."
Mr Geelhoed says he hopes the temporary ban will not affect overall immunisation rates.
"We must remember now that we don't see things like whooping cough, diptheria, tetinus, measles, mumps and rubelle," he said.
"All those things have essentially gone from our community, they've largely gone because of vaccinations."
Health authorities say it is still safe for older children and adults to receive the flu vaccine.
More harm than good?
But one expert urged health authorities yesterday to consider whether rolling out vaccinations to millions of people around the country causes more harm than good.
Peter Collignon, a professor in infectious diseases from the Australian National University, says an effective surveillance system should monitor thousands of people for one or two weeks after vaccination before the vaccine is rolled out to the entire population.
"If you're in a risk group everybody agrees you need to be vaccinated," he said.
"But the majority of the population don't have risk factors, including children.
"Before we roll out a vaccine to millions of people, in my view, we need to do studies of thousands of people over a period of time to make sure we are always going to do more good than harm with the vaccine."
He says the seasonal flu vaccine has three components - one of which is swine flu - and children may be reacting badly to receiving a second exposure to part of the flu virus.
"If you were infected with swine flu itself last year or had been given the swine flu vaccine last November or December or January, if you then get exposed again to a part of the virus, you've already got antibodies and white cells that are turned on to try to fight the virus," he said.
"Therefore if you get exposed to it again you may have a brisk reaction, where you produce more antibodies and more white cells, which gives you a fever and an inflammatory reaction."
He says about 20 per cent of Australian children who received the swine flu vaccine had moderate to severe side effects in the form of a fever of more than 38.5 degrees Celsius and severe muscle aches and pains.
But he says last winter, the risk of someone under the age of 40 getting swine flu and dying from it if they had no risk factors was less than one in a million.
"You have to start weighing this up because you may actually produce as much influenza-like illness with a vaccine as you prevent with people not getting influenza," he said.
"That's been my concern about rolling out this vaccine to the entire population. I don't think we've got enough data to know how effective it's going to be."
Saturday, April 24, 2010
AUS--Flu vaccination ban goes national after fever, convulsions in children
With all the misery this vaccine has caused why could they not of banned it in the US?
*****
Flu vaccination ban goes national after fever, convulsions in children
Chris Thomson
April 24, 2010 - 9:36AM
Seasonal flu vaccinations across Australia for children under five have been suspended after 23 children in Western Australia were admitted to hospital with convulsions following their injections.
One child, aged 1, remains in a coma in a Perth hospital.
Commonwealth chief health officer Professor Jim Bishop yesterday announced the suspension while authorities urgently review data from around the country.
WA's chief public health officer Tarun Weeramanthri has defended the response time in closing down the state's juvenile flu vaccine program amid revelations that children were presenting with convulsions more than two weeks ago.
* Rogue batch may be to blame
* National warning to GPs
* Perth mum: 'I was petrified'
* WA free vaccine program suspended
More than 60 children around the state may have had adverse reactions to the vaccine, including fevers, vomiting and febrile convulsions - a type of fit brought on by a high fever.
One child remains in a critical condition in hospital after being given the vaccine. Dr Weeramanthri said he had few details on the child's condition but they were "seriously ill".
He said a national process set by the Therapeutic Goods Administration had been observed in responding to the reactions. Under the process the best clinical information was collected from as many doctors as possible and an assessment made on the "totality of that".
"We take all reports very seriously and we believe we've acted in a very timely fashion," Dr Weeramanthri said.
"We've been monitoring the situation, we've been talking to clinicians and we've acted as soon as we can."
He said that since this year's vaccine program started a month ago, 23 children under the age of 10 had presented to Princess Margaret Hospital with convulsions related to vaccinations they had received less than 12 hours before.
Another 40 convulsion cases had been detected in the past month in children at other metropolitan hospitals and in Bunbury. Doctors are now working to determine how many of those children received the flu vaccine.
Aside from the convulsions, affected children were suffering fever and vomiting within 12 hours of their flu shots.
A teleconference today with state, territory and TGA officials confirmed the picture in other states would not be available for "a few days".
Dr Weeramanthri said the TGA was assessing the geographical spread of symptoms across Australia, and directly testing batches of vaccine for any impurity.
Rogue batch may be to blame
Health authorities are also working to determine if the entire Fluvax drug, or just batches, have caused the symptoms, and whether an alternative vaccine should be used.
University of Western Australia school of Paediatrics and Child Health Associate Professor Peter Richmond said that only Fluvax - produced by Australia's biggest biopharmaceutical company CSL - was being used to vaccinate children in WA.
Dr Richmond said researchers were trying to determine whether it was the entire vaccine, or just batches, that had caused the problems which today prompted Australia's chief medical officer to tell doctors to stop giving the vaccine to children.
He said the side effects had been largely limited to children under the age of five and he would not recommend that anybody in other groups - including elderly people - cancel their flu shots.
"This is not a long-term safety issue with vaccines," Dr Richmond told WAtoday.com.au.
He recommended parents of young children who had received only the first of the required two vaccination doses hold off on the second dose for now.
This was despite the fact children who had no side effects from their first dose were unlikely to receive complications from their second.
Dr Richmond said the first dose provided partial protection against the flu anyway.
He said researchers were examining whether an alternative drug to Fluvax could be used for the second dose - generally scheduled for four weeks after the first.
Researchers were also trying to determine if the problem with Fluvax was temporary only - and whether the drug could still be used in coming weeks for the second dose.
He stressed that the vast majority of children receiving Fluvax had suffered no complications.
National warning to GPs
Commonwealth chief medical officer Jim Bishop issued a national warning to GPs not to use the vaccine followed a decision last night by the WA government to suspend the free vaccination program for children under five over concerns it was causing high fevers and convulsions.
"We suggest doctors and health professionals vaccinating children don't use the seasonal flu vaccine for the moment, until we can get the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to investigate this in more detail," Professor Bishop told ABC TV.
He said the concerns stemmed from a significant rise in the number of children developing a fever after receiving the vaccine.
"We need more information about what’s happened in WA, but also what we can now find out from all the other states from their experience," Professor Bishop said.
"If this has been brought up as a possible side-effect of this drug, then we ought to at least suspend its use until we know more."
In light of the seasonal flu shot suspension, Professor Bishop suggested children get vaccinated against swine flu instead, because that could be a health risk this winter too.
He said there did not appear to be any side effects from the swine flu vaccine Panvax.
"It is safe to have the swine flu vaccine," Professor Bishop said.
"The TGA's assessment of clinical trials and the advice of its expert committees is that Panvax is a safe, effective vaccine for prevention of the H1N1 influenza.
"It is expected that the dominant flu this winter season will be swine flu and the specific Panvax vaccine is available free for all Australians."
'I was petrified'
Perth mother of two Bea Flint said her 11-month-old boy Avery had a seizure after receiving the first dose of the two-dose flu vaccination on Saturday.
Mrs Flint said that after the 9am vaccination she noticed Avery had a minor temperature about 2pm. She treated him with Panadol and by Avery's 7pm bedtime he seemed "OK".
However, at 7.45pm, Avery started whimpering and moaning.
When Mrs Flint got to his cot the baby had vomited and was lying on his side having a seizure.
"In the car driving to the hospital he was just whimpering," she said.
"He couldn't cry - his head was hanging down in the car seat and he couldn't move.
"I was petrified - it was one of the worst experiences of my life."
By the time Avery arrived at St John of God Hospital in Murdoch, he was burning up with a fever of 39.5 degrees.
The doctor who treated Avery told Mrs Flint her baby was the fifth child with similar symptoms admitted to the hospital that day.
WA vaccine program suspended
Health Minister Kim Hames last night advised of the state-wide suspension as a precautionary measure.
He said the suspension came after a significant rise in the number of children who had developed a high temperature after receiving the vaccine.
He said some children had gone into febrile convulsions, a fit caused by a high fever, following the vaccinations.
Dr Hames said it was unclear if the fevers were related to the influenza vaccination but the precautionary measure was the most responsible course of action.
Fevers in most instances are treatable.
"People should give Paracetamol according to the instructions and tepid sponging to keep the temperature down." Dr Hames said.
"On rare occasions children can have a convulsion as the result of the high temperature and sometimes that can be prolonged, which can be a risk to the child."
He said parents should not take children under the age of five to be vaccinated against influenza until further notice.
- with The Age
This story was found at: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/flu-vaccination-ban-goes-national-after-fever-convulsions-in-children-20100423-tglp.html
*****
Flu vaccination ban goes national after fever, convulsions in children
Chris Thomson
April 24, 2010 - 9:36AM
Seasonal flu vaccinations across Australia for children under five have been suspended after 23 children in Western Australia were admitted to hospital with convulsions following their injections.
One child, aged 1, remains in a coma in a Perth hospital.
Commonwealth chief health officer Professor Jim Bishop yesterday announced the suspension while authorities urgently review data from around the country.
WA's chief public health officer Tarun Weeramanthri has defended the response time in closing down the state's juvenile flu vaccine program amid revelations that children were presenting with convulsions more than two weeks ago.
* Rogue batch may be to blame
* National warning to GPs
* Perth mum: 'I was petrified'
* WA free vaccine program suspended
More than 60 children around the state may have had adverse reactions to the vaccine, including fevers, vomiting and febrile convulsions - a type of fit brought on by a high fever.
One child remains in a critical condition in hospital after being given the vaccine. Dr Weeramanthri said he had few details on the child's condition but they were "seriously ill".
He said a national process set by the Therapeutic Goods Administration had been observed in responding to the reactions. Under the process the best clinical information was collected from as many doctors as possible and an assessment made on the "totality of that".
"We take all reports very seriously and we believe we've acted in a very timely fashion," Dr Weeramanthri said.
"We've been monitoring the situation, we've been talking to clinicians and we've acted as soon as we can."
He said that since this year's vaccine program started a month ago, 23 children under the age of 10 had presented to Princess Margaret Hospital with convulsions related to vaccinations they had received less than 12 hours before.
Another 40 convulsion cases had been detected in the past month in children at other metropolitan hospitals and in Bunbury. Doctors are now working to determine how many of those children received the flu vaccine.
Aside from the convulsions, affected children were suffering fever and vomiting within 12 hours of their flu shots.
A teleconference today with state, territory and TGA officials confirmed the picture in other states would not be available for "a few days".
Dr Weeramanthri said the TGA was assessing the geographical spread of symptoms across Australia, and directly testing batches of vaccine for any impurity.
Rogue batch may be to blame
Health authorities are also working to determine if the entire Fluvax drug, or just batches, have caused the symptoms, and whether an alternative vaccine should be used.
University of Western Australia school of Paediatrics and Child Health Associate Professor Peter Richmond said that only Fluvax - produced by Australia's biggest biopharmaceutical company CSL - was being used to vaccinate children in WA.
Dr Richmond said researchers were trying to determine whether it was the entire vaccine, or just batches, that had caused the problems which today prompted Australia's chief medical officer to tell doctors to stop giving the vaccine to children.
He said the side effects had been largely limited to children under the age of five and he would not recommend that anybody in other groups - including elderly people - cancel their flu shots.
"This is not a long-term safety issue with vaccines," Dr Richmond told WAtoday.com.au.
He recommended parents of young children who had received only the first of the required two vaccination doses hold off on the second dose for now.
This was despite the fact children who had no side effects from their first dose were unlikely to receive complications from their second.
Dr Richmond said the first dose provided partial protection against the flu anyway.
He said researchers were examining whether an alternative drug to Fluvax could be used for the second dose - generally scheduled for four weeks after the first.
Researchers were also trying to determine if the problem with Fluvax was temporary only - and whether the drug could still be used in coming weeks for the second dose.
He stressed that the vast majority of children receiving Fluvax had suffered no complications.
National warning to GPs
Commonwealth chief medical officer Jim Bishop issued a national warning to GPs not to use the vaccine followed a decision last night by the WA government to suspend the free vaccination program for children under five over concerns it was causing high fevers and convulsions.
"We suggest doctors and health professionals vaccinating children don't use the seasonal flu vaccine for the moment, until we can get the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to investigate this in more detail," Professor Bishop told ABC TV.
He said the concerns stemmed from a significant rise in the number of children developing a fever after receiving the vaccine.
"We need more information about what’s happened in WA, but also what we can now find out from all the other states from their experience," Professor Bishop said.
"If this has been brought up as a possible side-effect of this drug, then we ought to at least suspend its use until we know more."
In light of the seasonal flu shot suspension, Professor Bishop suggested children get vaccinated against swine flu instead, because that could be a health risk this winter too.
He said there did not appear to be any side effects from the swine flu vaccine Panvax.
"It is safe to have the swine flu vaccine," Professor Bishop said.
"The TGA's assessment of clinical trials and the advice of its expert committees is that Panvax is a safe, effective vaccine for prevention of the H1N1 influenza.
"It is expected that the dominant flu this winter season will be swine flu and the specific Panvax vaccine is available free for all Australians."
'I was petrified'
Perth mother of two Bea Flint said her 11-month-old boy Avery had a seizure after receiving the first dose of the two-dose flu vaccination on Saturday.
Mrs Flint said that after the 9am vaccination she noticed Avery had a minor temperature about 2pm. She treated him with Panadol and by Avery's 7pm bedtime he seemed "OK".
However, at 7.45pm, Avery started whimpering and moaning.
When Mrs Flint got to his cot the baby had vomited and was lying on his side having a seizure.
"In the car driving to the hospital he was just whimpering," she said.
"He couldn't cry - his head was hanging down in the car seat and he couldn't move.
"I was petrified - it was one of the worst experiences of my life."
By the time Avery arrived at St John of God Hospital in Murdoch, he was burning up with a fever of 39.5 degrees.
The doctor who treated Avery told Mrs Flint her baby was the fifth child with similar symptoms admitted to the hospital that day.
WA vaccine program suspended
Health Minister Kim Hames last night advised of the state-wide suspension as a precautionary measure.
He said the suspension came after a significant rise in the number of children who had developed a high temperature after receiving the vaccine.
He said some children had gone into febrile convulsions, a fit caused by a high fever, following the vaccinations.
Dr Hames said it was unclear if the fevers were related to the influenza vaccination but the precautionary measure was the most responsible course of action.
Fevers in most instances are treatable.
"People should give Paracetamol according to the instructions and tepid sponging to keep the temperature down." Dr Hames said.
"On rare occasions children can have a convulsion as the result of the high temperature and sometimes that can be prolonged, which can be a risk to the child."
He said parents should not take children under the age of five to be vaccinated against influenza until further notice.
- with The Age
This story was found at: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/flu-vaccination-ban-goes-national-after-fever-convulsions-in-children-20100423-tglp.html
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Teen Paralyzed After Getting H1N1 Vaccination
WHAT MAKES ME SO DAMN MAD IS NOT ONLY DOES THIS KID AND HIS FAMILY HAVE NO RIGHT TO COMPENSATION UNDER THE LAW, THIS KID WAS ASKING FOR THE VACCINE, WHAT KIND OF BRAINWASHING ARE WE DOING IN THIS WORLD? THE DOCTOR INTERVIEWED NEEDS HIS LICENSE REVOKED AS HE IS STILL PUSHING THE VACCINE
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Dr says risk of being crippled should not deter anyone from the H1N1 vaccine
No protection for this vaccine injured teen!
"If he had received the regular flu vaccine, the family would be able to file a claim with the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program," said attorney Clifford Shoemaker. "But because it was the swine flu program, which falls under the same bill as terrorism … the family will get very little in compensation for what's happened to this child."
Also note how this Dr is still pushing the poison vaccine:
While the boy's paralysis is heartbreaking, Shafrir said it shouldn't deter anyone from getting the vaccination.
******
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/22755325/detail.html
CECIL COUNTY, Md. -- A Cecil County teenager is in rehab and is paralyzed from the chest down as a result of getting the H1N1 flu vaccine at his school, according to his parents and doctor. Robert Beckham, 16, is in rehab at Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital, where he and his parents, Belinda and Tom, are learning to cope with his new status as a paraplegic. In December, Robert suddenly lost feeling in both his legs and was rushed to Baltimore's Sinai Hospital. "Very unfortunately, under very heavy treatment, not only did he not improve, he even got slightly worse," said Sinai pediatric neurologist Dr. Yuval Shafrir. Shafrir said Robert is being treated for a rare condition called transverse mylitis in which a segment of Robert's spinal cord was destroyed by his own immune system. Transverse mylitis is a disease that can occur after infection, but in this case, Shafrir said it was a medically unpredictable reaction to a vaccination that's being given in schools all over the country. "The only obvious cause was the H1N1 vaccination," Shafrir said. "I kept pestering my parents to get me this shot. I got it, and a month later, it went bad," Robert said. "I'm still in shock from it. I can't believe that this happened to him," said the teen's mother. "I did not know there was even a small chance of this. I had never heard of this happening," Robert's father said. To make matters worse for the family, both of Robert's parents are disabled and financially unable to bring him home from the hospital. "If he had received the regular flu vaccine, the family would be able to file a claim with the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program," said attorney Clifford Shoemaker. "But because it was the swine flu program, which falls under the same bill as terrorism … the family will get very little in compensation for what's happened to this child." There's a fundraiser this weekend in Cecil County to help them out. It will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Porters Grover Baptist Church at 478 Connelly Road in Rising Sun. The family needs help making their home handicapped-accessible for Robert. All donations can be made at Cecil Bank in care of Robert Beckham. Meanwhile, Maryland Health Department officials are aware of Robert's case. "Certainly, there are instances of adverse events -- they're very rare -- and it's something we want to monitor closely," said DHMH Deputy Secretary Fran Phillips.
While the boy's paralysis is heartbreaking, Shafrir said it shouldn't deter anyone from getting the vaccination.
"If he had received the regular flu vaccine, the family would be able to file a claim with the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program," said attorney Clifford Shoemaker. "But because it was the swine flu program, which falls under the same bill as terrorism … the family will get very little in compensation for what's happened to this child."
Also note how this Dr is still pushing the poison vaccine:
While the boy's paralysis is heartbreaking, Shafrir said it shouldn't deter anyone from getting the vaccination.
******
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/22755325/detail.html
CECIL COUNTY, Md. -- A Cecil County teenager is in rehab and is paralyzed from the chest down as a result of getting the H1N1 flu vaccine at his school, according to his parents and doctor. Robert Beckham, 16, is in rehab at Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital, where he and his parents, Belinda and Tom, are learning to cope with his new status as a paraplegic. In December, Robert suddenly lost feeling in both his legs and was rushed to Baltimore's Sinai Hospital. "Very unfortunately, under very heavy treatment, not only did he not improve, he even got slightly worse," said Sinai pediatric neurologist Dr. Yuval Shafrir. Shafrir said Robert is being treated for a rare condition called transverse mylitis in which a segment of Robert's spinal cord was destroyed by his own immune system. Transverse mylitis is a disease that can occur after infection, but in this case, Shafrir said it was a medically unpredictable reaction to a vaccination that's being given in schools all over the country. "The only obvious cause was the H1N1 vaccination," Shafrir said. "I kept pestering my parents to get me this shot. I got it, and a month later, it went bad," Robert said. "I'm still in shock from it. I can't believe that this happened to him," said the teen's mother. "I did not know there was even a small chance of this. I had never heard of this happening," Robert's father said. To make matters worse for the family, both of Robert's parents are disabled and financially unable to bring him home from the hospital. "If he had received the regular flu vaccine, the family would be able to file a claim with the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program," said attorney Clifford Shoemaker. "But because it was the swine flu program, which falls under the same bill as terrorism … the family will get very little in compensation for what's happened to this child." There's a fundraiser this weekend in Cecil County to help them out. It will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Porters Grover Baptist Church at 478 Connelly Road in Rising Sun. The family needs help making their home handicapped-accessible for Robert. All donations can be made at Cecil Bank in care of Robert Beckham. Meanwhile, Maryland Health Department officials are aware of Robert's case. "Certainly, there are instances of adverse events -- they're very rare -- and it's something we want to monitor closely," said DHMH Deputy Secretary Fran Phillips.
While the boy's paralysis is heartbreaking, Shafrir said it shouldn't deter anyone from getting the vaccination.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Advisers on Vaccines Often Have Conflicts, Report Says
A bit old but worth reading
*****
Advisers on Vaccines Often Have Conflicts, Report Says
By GARDINER HARRIS
Published: December 17, 2009
WASHINGTON A new report finds that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a poor job of screening medical experts for financial conflicts when it hired them to advise the agency on vaccine safety, officials said Thursday.
Most of the experts who served on advisory panels in 2007 to evaluate vaccines for flu and cervical cancer had potential conflicts that were never resolved, the report said. Some were legally barred from considering the issues but did so anyway.
In the report, expected to be released Friday, Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, found that the centers failed nearly every time to ensure that the experts adequately filled out forms confirming they were not being paid by companies with an interest in their decisions.
The report found that 64 percent of the advisers had potential conflicts of interest that were never identified or were left unresolved by the centers. Thirteen percent failed to have an appropriate conflicts form on file at the agency at all, which should have barred their participation in the meetings entirely, Mr. Levinson found. And 3 percent voted on matters that ethics officers had already barred them from considering.
The inspector general recommended that the centers do a far better job of screening. In a reply, the agency’s new director, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, agreed.
“Since the period covered in this review, C.D.C. has strengthened the financial disclosures and conflict-of-interest process by instituting improved business processes and realigning responsibilities and oversight,” Dr. Frieden wrote.
As numerous medicines have been pulled from the market in recent years, worries have grown that experts may be recommending medical products even ones they know to be unsafe in part because manufacturers are paying them.
As a result, government agencies, medical societies and medical journals have become increasingly insistent that experts disclose potential conflicts. And while the experts invariably insist that they have done so, government audits routinely find large gaps between these disclosures and the experts’ actual income from consulting.
Congress tightened the rules on outside consulting after similar conflicts were found among members of advisory panels to the Food and Drug Administration. But little attention has been paid to the potential conflicts of advisers to the C.D.C., even though that agency’s committees have significant influence over what vaccines are sold in the United States, what tests are performed to detect cancer and how coal miners are protected.
Most of the advisers identified by Mr. Levinson had either a job or a grant from a company or other entity whose interests were affected by the committees’ discussions, and a considerable number also owned stock in such companies, the report said.
Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat who said she had long been a supporter of the C.D.C., said: “That is why I am so concerned about this report issued by the inspector general exposing serious ethics violations within the C.D.C. All members of the federal advisory committees, whose recommendations direct federal policy, should be without conflict of interest.”
*****
Advisers on Vaccines Often Have Conflicts, Report Says
By GARDINER HARRIS
Published: December 17, 2009
WASHINGTON A new report finds that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a poor job of screening medical experts for financial conflicts when it hired them to advise the agency on vaccine safety, officials said Thursday.
Most of the experts who served on advisory panels in 2007 to evaluate vaccines for flu and cervical cancer had potential conflicts that were never resolved, the report said. Some were legally barred from considering the issues but did so anyway.
In the report, expected to be released Friday, Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, found that the centers failed nearly every time to ensure that the experts adequately filled out forms confirming they were not being paid by companies with an interest in their decisions.
The report found that 64 percent of the advisers had potential conflicts of interest that were never identified or were left unresolved by the centers. Thirteen percent failed to have an appropriate conflicts form on file at the agency at all, which should have barred their participation in the meetings entirely, Mr. Levinson found. And 3 percent voted on matters that ethics officers had already barred them from considering.
The inspector general recommended that the centers do a far better job of screening. In a reply, the agency’s new director, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, agreed.
“Since the period covered in this review, C.D.C. has strengthened the financial disclosures and conflict-of-interest process by instituting improved business processes and realigning responsibilities and oversight,” Dr. Frieden wrote.
As numerous medicines have been pulled from the market in recent years, worries have grown that experts may be recommending medical products even ones they know to be unsafe in part because manufacturers are paying them.
As a result, government agencies, medical societies and medical journals have become increasingly insistent that experts disclose potential conflicts. And while the experts invariably insist that they have done so, government audits routinely find large gaps between these disclosures and the experts’ actual income from consulting.
Congress tightened the rules on outside consulting after similar conflicts were found among members of advisory panels to the Food and Drug Administration. But little attention has been paid to the potential conflicts of advisers to the C.D.C., even though that agency’s committees have significant influence over what vaccines are sold in the United States, what tests are performed to detect cancer and how coal miners are protected.
Most of the advisers identified by Mr. Levinson had either a job or a grant from a company or other entity whose interests were affected by the committees’ discussions, and a considerable number also owned stock in such companies, the report said.
Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat who said she had long been a supporter of the C.D.C., said: “That is why I am so concerned about this report issued by the inspector general exposing serious ethics violations within the C.D.C. All members of the federal advisory committees, whose recommendations direct federal policy, should be without conflict of interest.”
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