At the 12/2008 FDA-NIH meeting on how to study novel adjuvants, Novartis scientist (Novartis owns the MF59 adjuvant) Dr. Novicki made the following statement: “Carcinogenicity–we have done no testing for the carcinogenicity of MF59 adjuvant or any of our preventive vaccines. We haven’t done it and we don’t plan to.” (See page 391.) And if…

HHS Purchases Additional H1N1 Vaccine Ingredients–July 13, 2009 (Thanks to Bloomberg News) Manufacturer Bulk Vaccine Antigen Bulk Virus Concentrate/FFF Bulk Oil and Water Adjuvant Sanofi Pasteur $61,425,000 0 0 GSK $0 0 $71,400,000 Novartis $346,334,450 0 $343,810,470 CSL $0 0 0 MedImmune $0 $61,020,000 0 TOTAL $407,759,450 $61,020,000 $415,210,470 That means the Department of Health…

The 1978 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report on the 1976 Swine Flu Vaccination Program points out that a large number of assumptions going into the program were never acknowledged or critically examined. For example, the report lists the following assumptions that were made when the program was conceived: high-yield eggs, one dose per person,…

AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe got a swine flu vaccine scoop–yet the news is four weeks old. It turns out that DHHS Secretary Sibelius has not only given immunity to the makers of Tamiflu and Relenza for injuries stemming from their use against swine flu. She also granted immunity to future swine flu vaccines and…

There are many federal advisory panels, often comprised of those with vested interests. This panel did as expected, calling for precipitous vaccine approval. The Wall Street Journal reports: In the U.S., a federal advisory panel said the FDA should move ahead to approve or license the new H1N1 vaccine without waiting to receive data from…

This HHS chart indicates that vaccine will be distributed in early November, after which “monitoring effectiveness and safety” begins. Here is an excellent H1N1 swine flu links page from the National Library of Medicine. This DHHS/DHS document explains the plan for priority targeting of (pandemic) influenza vaccinations. According to FDA: Through an Emergency Use Authorization…

US DHHS Orders for Bulk Supply of 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Antigens and Squalene-containing Adjuvants Manufacturer Bulk Vaccine Antigen Oil-In-Water Bulk Adjuvant Novartis $150 million $139 million GlaxoSmithKline $ 38 million $144 million Sanofi Pasteur $191 million CSL Biotherapies $180 million MedImmune $ 90 million Total $649 million $283 million

I am aware of two very useful sources of information on the 1976 swine flu vaccine fiasco. Both are available in full on-line. The first is a short article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1996, written by Maurice Hilleman, PhD. Hilleman was America’s pre-eminent vaccinologist until his death 5 years…

The LA Times’ Rosie Mestel wrote about the timeline for swine flu vaccine production July 20: Five companies are at work producing the H1N1 vaccine right now. Testing is starting this month–and by month’s end, an advisory committee will meet to decide who in the U.S. is likely to be first in line for a…

Q: How virulent is this virus?A: It appears to be about as deadly as usual flu viruses–but with the major caveat that younger people are hardest hit. CDC reports 263 deaths and 40,000 confirmed cases in the US, but expects that over 1 million have been infected. The UK reported its 15th death on July…

Deaths in the under 18 age group from flu-associated illness, per CDC: The following table presents the total number of deaths in children in the United States associated with influenza infections for the past four years: Year _____ Deaths2008-9 _____ 92007-8 _____ 892006-7 _____ 772005-6 _____ 46

Useful facts regarding the standard (non-swine) flu vaccine: advice from CDC: 84% of the population is now advised annual vaccinations All children 6 months through 18 years of age are advised annual vaccinations Vaccination is recommended for “All persons who want to reduce the risk of becoming ill with influenza or of transmitting it to…

While CDC has not committed to a strategy beyond Tamiflu (to which some viral strains in Hong Kong have resistance), Australia faces a major H1N1 outbreak, as the southern hemisphere winter just began. But mathematical modelling suggests the US has already experienced 1 million H1N1 cases. On May 17, Australia moved to a new national…

The US government has contracted with at least 5 pharmaceutical manufacturers to develop and produce H1N1 vaccines, using a variety of platforms and manufacturing methods. This is an excellent approach, since at this point no one knows which will succeed and how long it will take to obtain desired quantities of vaccine. A novel feature…

The National Academies today announced its committee membership to review the FBI’s scientific analysis of anthrax. In an unusual move, the NAS has issued a 20 day comment period in which the public may dispute proposed committee members on the basis of bias. Why was the NAS committee formed? The first mention of such a…

Here is a compendium of very useful info on H1N1, both for clinicians and the public. It appears to be regularly updated. Cidrap has gathered its information from WHO, CDC and other sources.