Monday, January 7, 2013

Web of Anthrax Vaccine Conflicts at the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

You can't make this stuff up.  Conflicts of interest abound at the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues with respect to anthrax vaccine.  Coincidence or forethought?

Before Emergent Biosolutions made anthrax vaccine, the vaccine was made by the Michigan Department of Public Health.  Before Michigan, it was made by Merck.

Might Merck Vaccine's President Julie Gerberding and former Merck Vaccine President Adel Mahmoud have an interest in demonstrating anthrax vaccine's safety and efficacy... and wouldn't giving it to children help demonstrate how excellent it is?  Maybe Dr. Mahmoud, a member of the Presidential Commission's International Research Panel and current Princeton professor, is not providing the Commission with any information or opinions on anthrax vaccine, but then again, maybe he is.

Julie Gerberding led the CDC until 2009; CDC is responsible for procuring anthrax vaccine for the civilian stockpile, making recommendations for its use, running anthrax vaccine clinical trials, etc.


Dr. Amy Gutmann, Commission Chairperson, has one child. Her accomplished daughter is a Princeton professor and consults for Merck.

Lisa Lee, Executive Director of the Commission, worked at CDC from 1998 until joining the Commission.

James W. Wagner, the Presidential Commission's Vice Chair, is president of Emory University, which is CDC's academic partner.

The mysterious (unpublished) clinical trial of anthrax vaccine sponsored by CDC from 2002 to 2007 according to CDC (or through 2010 according to ClinicalTrials.gov) was conducted at five sites, which included Commission members Dr. Wagner's Emory University and Dr. Nelson Michael's Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.  Dr. Greg Poland ran the trial at Mayo, btw.  (See below for info on Dr. Poland.)

According to CDC's anthrax vaccine clinical trial principal investigator, the trial's final analyses were conducted in 2009, and a final report was sent to FDA at that time.  Three and a half years later it remains unpublished.

Dr. Alexander Garza, another Commission member, is the Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security responsible for a new program to get anthrax vaccinations into non-military personnel.

Next week, the Commission will meet again to decide whether to give little children a vaccine that causes birth defects, Gulf War Syndrome and a host of other problems;  according to GAO,
"Officials from the VHC Network and CDC estimate that between 1 and 2 percent of immunized individuals may experience severe adverse events, which could result in disability or death."
Will Bioethics or Vested Interests rule?  Tune in Jan 14-15, for the Commission's next meeting. 

1 comment:

  1. I have been sick from the vaccine since 15 April 2011. They are calling it "Drug Toxicity of Vaccine (Anthrax)". Everyday is a challenge to get out of bed. My immune system is attacking my whole body. I have seen the VHC twice with no resolve to my conditions. I have been going through the MEB process and my conditions got so bad that we had to recall my MEB and restart the whole process over.

    ReplyDelete