Baxter: Product contained live bird flu virus

[ozoneranger]

The company that released contaminated flu virus material from a plant in Austria confirmed Friday that the experimental product contained live H5N1 avian flu viruses.

And an official of the World Health Organization's European operation said the body is closely monitoring the investigation into the events that took place at Baxter International's research facility in Orth-Donau, Austria.

"At this juncture we are confident in saying that public health and occupational risk is minimal at present," medical officer Roberta Andraghetti said from Copenhagen, Denmark.

"But what remains unanswered are the circumstances surrounding the incident in the Baxter facility in Orth-Donau."

The contaminated product, a mix of H3N2 seasonal flu viruses and unlabelled H5N1 viruses, was supplied to an Austrian research company. The Austrian firm, Avir Green Hills Biotechnology, then sent portions of it to sub-contractors in the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Germany.

The contamination incident, which is being investigated by the four European countries, came to light when the subcontractor in the Czech Republic inoculated ferrets with the product and they died. Ferrets shouldn't die from exposure to human H3N2 flu viruses.

Public health authorities concerned about what has been described as a "serious error" on Baxter's part have assumed the death of the ferrets meant the H5N1 virus in the product was live. But the company, Baxter International Inc., has been parsimonious about the amount of information it has released about the event.

On Friday, the company's director of global bioscience communications confirmed what scientists have suspected.

"It was live," Christopher Bona said in an email.

Moe:

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/02/27/8560781.html

Yea, give me some of that.

[indigo girl]

When the supply runs low, how long do you think it will take the FDA to approve this technology?

Speculation about FDA approval is not my department.

[ozoneranger]

They'll have it approved in a heartbeat. The FDA panel will consist of 11 to 13 members, of those members as many as 5 will hold patents on the technology & will stand to gain millions when the vote is cast. Conflict of interest statements will be read behind closed doors, and never reveled to the public. Standard operating procedure in the FDA that even it's chief admits is undermining the safety of the public they are charged with protecting.

Of the companies manufacturing swine flu vaccine for the US, which one would you be willing to take?

Novartis?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/2235676/Homeless-people-die-after-bird-flu-vaccine-trial-in-Poland.html

This vaccine has been fast tracked, has had very limited testing & if mandated, will fall under the VICP, meaning they will not be held accountable for any damage or deaths that result.

Wouldn't Firestone have loved a deal so sweet, pump out tires, spend relatively nothing on safety testing, then when things go bad....nobody can sue them for damages.

There's no accountability in the process.

I could literally post links all day to violations from all 5 of the manufacturers you've listed. From mild GMP infractions, to outright criminal charges.

Even though the clinical trials will not be sufficient to give us an overview of short term adverse events, much less long term decrements to the population, our government is pushing forward, much like the swine flu debacle of 1976.