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1. Vaccine Contamination Scandal: A Threat To Human Health
In the past few months, the American public has been informed that two infant diarrhea vaccines - GlaxoSmithKline's Rotarix and Merck's RotaTeq - are contaminated with pig virus DNA. But there's a difference between the two vaccines: Rotarix contains parts of a pig virus that does not make pigs sick while Merck's RotaTeq contains parts of a pig virus that kills baby pigs. How many mothers know that, when Merck's diarrhea vaccine is squirted into the mouths of their two month old babies, they are swallowing parts of a pig virus that suppresses the immune systems of baby pigs so badly, they waste away and suffer respiratory, kidney, reproductive and brain damage before dying? One Click Note: Pharmaceutical industry insertion of pig material into vaccines shows great disrespect for the religions of both Muslims and Jews. You couldn't make it up if you tried.
Barbara Loe Fisher, National Vaccine Information Center
2. Vaccine Cells Trigger Fits In Babies And Toddlers
Nobel Prize laureate Peter Doherty
Dead swine flu cells used to make the seasonal flu vaccine could be triggering a nine-fold increase in febrile fits among toddlers, Nobel Prize laureate Peter Doherty said yesterday. The head of Australia's investigation into the spate of serious side-effects from the suspended pediatric vaccine said one hypothesis was that the killed-off cells were causing a "cytokine storm" -- a severe overreaction to the vaccine by healthy children's immune systems. Such reactions have been blamed for the death toll from the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Professor Doherty told The Australian the vaccine "could be doing something along those lines".
Natasha Bita, The Australian
3. Flu Vaccine Recalled As Adverse Reactions Increase x 9
CSL Ltd., the Southern Hemisphere’s only flu vaccine maker, recalled its seasonal shot for children in Australia after investigations failed to explain a nine-fold increase in fever and convulsions. Jim Bishop, Australia’s chief medical officer, said vaccinations should continue to be suspended for children under 5 years, a recommendation initially made on April 23. The investigation “identified no apparent clinical, biological or epidemiological factors that would explain the higher-than-expected observed rates of fever with convulsions,” Bishop said. Fluvax is the first seasonal influenza vaccine to contain the H1N1 strain of swine flu. CSL called the product withdrawal a “retrieval” and said it’s occurring outside the regulatory process. The company said it isn’t able to provide a figure for the withdrawal because it doesn’t know how many doses have been used.
Simeon Bennett, Bloomberg Businessweek
Related Links:
* Mum Feared Child Would Die After Vaccine
Times Online, New Zealand
* Flu Vaccine Early Warning Signs Ignored As Children Convulse And Die
news.com.au
* Flu Vaccine Killer Comes From Multiple Vaccine Batches
ABC News
* Toddler Ashley Jade Epapara, 2, Dies After Flu Vaccine
Suellen Hinde, Sunday Mail, Australia
4. Pfizer's Wyeth Exported Waste Renders Pigs Infertile
Here’s a tale that may make you squeal. The drugmaker Wyeth, which is now owned by Pfizer, has pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four counts of illegally exporting waste water from its plant in Newbridge, Ireland, where contraceptive pills were made, to Holland, where the water wound up in animal feed and Dutch farmers had to destroy some 50,000 pigs. At issue is the extent to which Wyeth supervised the disposal of its waste water, if at all. The case originated in 2002 when some Dutch pig farmers noticed their sows were infertile, RTE writes, adding that many farms were subsequently closed after infertile pigs on one farm were fed a syrup containing the hormone MPA, which is used as a human contraceptive. A probe later found Wyeth produced hormone-laced waste water in the process of sugar-coating its pills. The Dutch Feed Industry trade group claimed in 2003 that the disaster was ‘one of the worst in memory’ and cost th e industry about $145 million (at today’s rates). Cara Environmental Technology, which processed the waste for Wyeth, is due in criminal court next week, but not admitting anything. There was no comment from the Wyeth Medica unit. Sentencing is scheduled for next month.
Ed Silverman, Pharmalot
5. The Human Retrovirus XMRV In Prostate Cancer And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) is an authentic, newly recognized human retrovirus first identified in prostate cancer tissues from men with a deficiency in the innate immunity gene RNASEL. At present, studies have detected XMRV at widely different rates in prostate cancer cases (0–27%) and in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS; 0–67%). Indirect or direct modes of carcinogenesis by XMRV have been suggested depending on whether the virus was found in stroma or malignant epithelium. Viral replication in the prostate might be affected by androgens, which stimulate XMRV through a transcriptional enhancer site in viral DNA. By contrast, host restriction factors, such as APOBEC3 and tetherin, inhibit virus replication. Immune dysfunction mediated by XMRV has been suggested as a possible factor in CFS. Recent studies show that some existing antiretroviral drugs suppress XMRV infections and diagnostic assays are under de velopment. Although other retroviruses of the same genus as XMRV (gammaretroviruses) cause cancer and neurological disease in animals, whether XMRV is a cause of either prostate cancer or CFS remains unknown. Emerging science surrounding XMRV is contributing to our knowledge of retroviral infections while focusing intense interest on two major human diseases.
R. H. Silverman et al, Nature Reviews Urology, doi:10.1038/nrurol.2010.77
Related Links:
* Detection of an Infectious Retrovirus, XMRV, in Blood Cells of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Judy A. Mikovits et al, 10.1126/science.1179052, Science Express
* Canada Bans Blood Donations From People With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
Canwest News Service, The Gazette
* Australia Bans Blood Donations From People With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
Australian Red Cross Blood Service
6. GlaxoSmithKline Settles First Deadly Avandia Drug Case Due For Trial
GlaxoSmithKline Plc has settled more lawsuits alleging its Avandia diabetes drug caused heart attacks, heading off the first trial in the United States concerning the medicine. The company said on Tuesday that terms of the settlement remained confidential. It declined to specify how many claimants were involved. The latest move follows reports by plaintiff lawyers last month that about 700 cases had been settled for around $60 million. Analysts estimate that Glaxo had faced a total of 13,000 claims for damages involving Avandia, of which they speculated around 5,000 were consolidated in Philadelphia, and there had been fears it could face damages of up to $6 billion. Glaxo has never confirmed the numbers involved in the different cases. Worries about liability claims have spiked since February, when two U.S. Senators published a highly critical report on Avandia. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel will consider possible further restrictions on the drug in July.
Ben Hirschler, Reuters
7. UK Doctors Boycotting Summary Care Records Database
GPs are boycotting the rollout of the Summary Care Record in their droves, in a move that casts serious doubt over the rollout of the project. In some areas, half or more of practices have refused offers to sign up, amid fears over confidentiality, lack of patient awareness and the huge workload in uploading records. PCTs appear to have ridden roughshod over GPs’ concerns – writing to all patients to offer them a care record without the backing of some local GPs. Dr Neil Bhatia, a GP in Yateley, Hampshire, and a long-time critic of the Summary Care Record, said: 'If the care record was as ground-breaking as Connecting for Health makes out, patients would be demanding it from their GPs, practices would be screaming for it from their PCTs and trusts would be banging on their SHAs’ doors insisting on it.' A spokesperson for NHS Hammersmith and Fulham said: ‘We haven’t invited any practices to take part - it is not GPs’ choice, it is patients’ choice. All have been informed of our plans.’
Steve Nowottny, PULSE
Related Links:
* Stunningly Incompetent UK Department Of Health Screws Up Care Records Database Cancellation
Ian Quinn, PULSE
* Opt Out Form
NHS Patient Database
* The UK Database State Scandal
Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust
8. Antidepressants Increase Miscarriage Risk By 68%
Mothers-to-be who take antidepressants during their pregnancy have a far higher risk of suffering a miscarriage, according to a new report. Researchers from the University of Montreal found the risk of miscarriage rose by 68 per cent among pregnant women taking the drugs. Depression is very common during pregnancy due to the hormonal upheaval, with one in 30 women taking antidepressants while expecting a baby. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, especially paroxetine and also venlafaxine were associated with increased risk of miscarriage as were higher daily doses of either antidepressant. A combination of different antidepressants doubled the risk of miscarriages.
Daily Mail Reporter, Daily Mail
Related Links:
* New Canadian Study Shows Antidepressants Cause Cataracts
Crystal Phend, MedPage Today
9. Child Abuse Unit Police Officer Prosecuted For String Of Child Sex Offence Acts
Detective Inspector Glen Boulton of West Midlands Police who headed a child abuse investigation unit is facing a string of child sex offence charges, it has emerged. The 44-year-old from Solihull appeared at Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court on May 11 charged with four counts of indecent assault and two counts of indecency with a child. Detective Inspector Boulton was manager of a child abuse investigation unit in Solihull between November 2008 and February 2009. A police spokesman said: "Given that criminal proceedings are now live we will not comment further at this stage."
The Press Association
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