House Judiciary Wants Answers From FBI Chief on Anthrax

CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS Sept. 5, 2008 By Seth Stern, CQ Staff Members of the House Judiciary Committee made clear Friday they expect more answers from the FBI about its August announcement that a government scientist was responsible for the 2001 anthrax attacks on Capitol Hill and elsewhere. Committee members submitted a list of questions…

Frederick News-Post Op-Ed: Elephant in the Room

If Not Ivins by Katherine Heerbrandt When Norm Covert, a conservative former Fort Detrick public affairs officer, and attorney Barry Kissin, liberal activist opposing Detrick’s biolab expansion, agree that Bruce Ivins was not the anthrax killer, either the world’s spinning off its axis, or the truth is staring us so hard in the face we’d…

Is FDA Interested in the Safety of Anthrax Vaccine?

FDA answered a Freedom of Information Act request for me today. I asked how many adverse event reports had been filed for anthrax vaccine (5,931 reports through July 22, 2008) and how many FDA had designated as SERIOUS (618 reports). Serious reports are those indicating an event requiring hospitalization, a life-threatening event, permanent disability, or…

Science Magazine/ ANTHRAX INVESTIGATION: FBI Discusses Microbial Forensics–but Key Questions Remain Unanswered

Science 22 August 2008:Vol. 321. no. 5892, pp. 1026 – 1027 excerpted from the body of the article: (my apologies that a free link is not available) …The FBI disclosed earlier that only eight samples had all four mutations; on Monday, it said that all but one of these came from USAMRIID. And all eight…

Ivins as Stalker?

Excerpt from original story in The Oregonian indicates extensive contacts and debriefs between Haigwood and the FBI over 6 years. Although agents were close-mouthed with almost everyone else during this investigation, they apparently opened their case files for Dr. Haigwood: “Haigwood, who researches HIV transmission and vaccines, said she contacted the FBI shortly after the…

The Limits of Forensic Microbiology, or “We prosecute people, not beakers”

The FBI and major media have placed a lot of emphasis on the techniques used to identify the specific batch of Ames anthrax used in the Daschle/Leahy letters. Careful consideration of these methods is certainly important, for their accuracy is critical to the FBI’s theory of the case. However, at the end of the day,…

Journal Nature calls for investigation: Case “too important to be brushed under the carpet”

In an editorial published online today, titled “Case Not Closed,” Nature noted that “Only full disclosure can lift suspicions that the FBI has again targeted an innocent man:” … neither the conclusions drawn from the scientific analysis, nor such crucial legal elements as the veracity of the provenance and handling of samples, have been tested…

The vial the FBI destroyed, or why there will always be a spore on a grassy knoll

Does this case hinge on the first samples Ivins gave to the FBI, of which one was sent to Dr. Paul Keim in Arizona? Why does that sample matter, if the flask the FBI later confiscated had the same strain and genetic variability? Furthermore, if Keim’s sample is critical to the case, one must ask,…

Monday’s Briefing

I did not attend either FBI briefing, and the comments below relate to multiple news reports of the briefing. 1. Either one flask or two contained the specific anthrax strain in the letters–it was reported both ways in different newspapers, and apparently there was disagreement at the meeting.2. Two labs had this strain, but the…

3 Months Before Anthrax Sent, Daschle Criticized Anthrax Vaccine

Speaking to motive for the Daschle and Leahy letters, there might be multiple motives. The letters likely influenced their decisions on upcoming legislation like the Patriotic Act, and both had considerable power to promote or suppress legislation. The letters were likely intended to frighten all Congressional Members, whose office buildings were affected, and who, like…

Scientific data so far lacking

Eric Lichtblau (NY Times) and Robert Roos (Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy ) have written two comprehensive articles discussing the scientific and other evidence that has been presented. Lichtblau also discusses a closed-door FBI briefing that took place on August 14. They conclude the case is found seriously wanting.

One person or a conspiracy?

David Willman tells us today that the FBI missed Ivins for so many years because it was obsessed with Hatfill. Is this the FBI’s apologia? The FBI is a federal law enforcement agency; it is not a person with feelings and quirks. I don’t think we can let the FBI off the hook because of…

News: Analysis of the Spores, and Congressional Investigations

Itching to grapple with the scientific analysis employed by the FBI? Martin Enserink and Yudhijit Bhattacharjee of Science have done the best reporting yet on the kinds of microbial forensic evidence we are likely to see. Meanwhile, Carrie Johnson reports on House and Senate Judiciary Committee oversight panels, which have proposed September hearings to investigate…

GAO: 1-2% of anthrax vaccine recipients have adverse events which may result in disability or death

On June 29, 2007 a Government Accountability Office report was issued regarding the military Vaccine Healthcare Centers, which were formed in 2001 to take care of injuries from anthrax vaccine. They have treated 2,400 ill soldiers, the vast majority for illnesses developing in close proximity to anthrax vaccinations. Page 4 of the report says, “Officials…

The Message in the Anthrax

Thanks to a comment, I just reread Don Foster’s The Message in the Anthrax, published in Vanity Fair and Reader’s Digest in 2003. This is a must-read if you want to understand the universe of evidence that has accrued in this case. Foster discusses the hoax letters; the Assaad story (by Laura Rozen); how the…

Holes in the Anthrax Case?

See Brad Friedman’s piece at The Guardian, UK, and this Washington Post Editorial Holes in the Anthrax Case? The nation and the FBI would benefit from an independent review of the investigation. Saturday, August 9, 2008; A14 ON WEDNESDAY, the federal government made public much of its case against accused anthrax killer Bruce E. Ivins….

Through surveillance, was FBI complicit in Ivins’ death?

In his news conference on Wednesday, August 6, US Attorney Jeffrey Taylor mentioned (evidence point 4) that while Ivins had been under 24/7 surveillance, he discarded some materials on DNA coding. If the FBI was about to charge Ivins, you would expect he was still under 24/7 surveillance, right? Well, a tylenol overdose is entirely…

National Academy of Science report shows psychiatric illness increases several-fold after anthrax vaccination

Many have asked me if Ivins’ anthrax vaccinations or meds might have contributed to his mental state. Bruce admitted a family history of emotional problems, his brother Tom appears psychiatrically impaired, and I don’t mean to make light of this history. However, the answer to whether anthrax vaccine leads to mental disorders is a resounding…

Anthrax vaccine : efficacy and potency problems

CDC, which performed some vaccine tests, acknowledged in 1968 that, “As to the efficacy of the vaccine, we have no real method of determining the protection afforded.” FDA records show that in 1969 the ad hoc committee to license anthrax vaccine found a lack of “scientific evidence for efficacy of the vaccine.” The committee chairman,…

Ivins’ Lawyer on where the envelopes came from

From the very enlightening NPR interview with Ivins’ attorney, Paul Kemp: “They have a Secret Service document examiner who examined the stamps on these pre-franked envelopes [envelopes with prepaid postage] that contained the anthrax in the anthrax attacks. And because of microscopic defects, you’re correct, he was able to tie those to lots or a…

Investigating the FBI

Just for fun, let’s investigate some facets of the FBI’s case: 1. Leaks last weekend claimed that Ivins was about to be charged with committing the anthrax crime. Turns out, FBI had not yet brought its evidence against Ivins to a grand jury. And one of his attorneys denies that he was told he was…

More than 100 people had access

The shiny new methods of “microbial forensics,” touted by the FBI for months as offering a new break in the case, have in fact revealed little or nothing. As the New York Times’ Scott Shane and Eric Lichtblau reveal, “officials admitted that more than 100 people had access to the supply of anthrax that matched…

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt?

U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor said at a Justice Department news conference, “We regret that we will not have the opportunity to present evidence to the jury.” Everybody else regrets it too–since what came out today was another pastiche of innuendo and circumstantial evidence, with an awful lot of holes. Time for the FBI to present…

FBI Apologizes–CBS News

See what power reporting has? It can solidify a tower of Bullshit, or cause it to collapse. The bloggers deserve a lot of credit for transforming the Ivins reportage, via impressive investigations and and logical thinking. Their work may have turned this case from one of conviction by innuendo — into one that will receive…

“Pressure Grows for FBI’s Anthrax Evidence”–NY Times

The NY Times’ Scott Shane and Nicholas Wade are drilling down on the essentials, elaborating on who had access to the particular anthrax found in Ivins’ lab and, purportedly, the letters: But at least 10 scientists had regular access to the laboratory and its anthrax stock — and possibly quite a few more, counting visitors…

Jean Duley redux

Bloggers Larisa Alexandrovna (Raw Story.com) and Glenn Greenwald (Salon.com) beat the major press on Jean Duley’s background. Seems she has an extensive police record including two arrests for DUI since 2006 and a remote drug paraphernalia charge. I suspected as much, having read that she was involved in treating addicts with Suboxone. Many substance abuse…

Op-Ed: The Death of Mr. Ivins

This am’s Hartford Courant carries a sensible Op-Ed. It ends, Congress should press the Justice Department for a full and public accounting of this case. Forcing the FBI to lay out its evidence against Mr. Ivins is the only way the public can be sure the agency’s methods were reasonable. It’s only fair.

Did Ivins have the knowledge and access to produce weaponized, dry anthrax?

The media have reported that some biodefense scientists said Ivins couldn’t produce the powdered anthrax found in the letters, but at least one scientist said he could. One problem is that the public does not know how the letters’ anthrax was produced, nor whether it contained an additive that promoted dispersion. Anthrax is produced in…

Case closed?

On the one hand, the Justice Department is considering closing the anthrax letters case this week. On the other hand, the FBI seized computers (and this time with no court order) from the Frederick Public Library this week. Looks like they were in a hurry. Last two times they examined computers they had a court…

Looking closer at Jean Duley’s statements

The AP has reported startling and frightening claims by Dr. Ivins’ therapist Jean Duley in several stories, including one just published by Dishneau and Jordan: Report: Therapist feared scientist poisoned people She claimed, “As far back as the year 2000, the respondent has actually attempted to murder several other people, either through poisoning. He is…

In the interest of not adding to the confusion re Ivins

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-anthrax0802,0,2705314.story My comments to a reporter were misinterpreted and I want to clarify them. The story says, “Ivins was a civilian working in the Army’s main bioterrorism program. Nass said Ivins always complained about being treated poorly by some of the military personnel.” Bruce did not ever complain to me about being “treated poorly.” I…

Sourcing

Back in 2002, in preparation for an interview on the anthrax letters for “Unsolved Mysteries,” I reviewed the media coverage. As I read article after article, I found that the statements most germane to an understanding of the case were almost entirely unsourced. It was unnerving to conclude that I knew very little about the…

He did it to test his vaccine????

The anthrax letters did not test anyone’s vaccine. For people exposed to the anthrax letters, anthrax vaccine was given in three doses over 4 weeks. It takes about 4-6 weeks after vaccinations start before recipients develop levels of antibodies to anthrax that may be protective. The vaccine’s label even points out that anthrax vaccine is…

An Improbable Ending: Scientist Bruce Ivins Tried and Convicted by the Media as Anthrax Letter perpetrator, after his suicide

For 7 years the Justice Department couldn’t seem to get anything right about the anthrax letters. For years, it harrassed Steven Hatfill, a self-described bodyguard for South African white supremacist Eugene Terrblanche and an unlicensed physician, despite a shocking lack of evidence. He is now $5.8 million richer as a result. But the White House…

Here is a summary of the presentation I gave to the Maine Commission to Protect the Lives and Health of National Guard Members

Problems with Military Vaccines Meryl Nass, MD Although biological warfare is considered a military threat, achieving mass casualties is extremely difficult. Historically, the target has been civilians, not troops. Nonetheless, the Defense Department has undertaken to vaccinate all deploying soldiers to Central Command with anthrax and smallpox vaccines: approximately 1.8 million soldiers have received each…

Anthrax Vaccine Lawsuit Dismissed: What Does That Mean?

Federal Judge Collyer last week dismissed a lawsuit challenging Biothrax’s license on the basis that efficacy has not been demonstrated. The suit contended that anthrax vaccine had never been approved for its current intended use, inhalation anthrax. The judge ruled that FDA is, in essence, the arbiter of the science and can interpret the data…

Two stories: Israeli Army cedes supervision of experiments on troops to the Ministry of Health; Israeli Air Force refused to give pilots anthrax shots

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3510509,00.html Anthrax tests on troops to be conducted ‘strictly under supervision’Aviram ZinoPublished: 02.24.08, 14:19 / Israel News Following deliberation on petition protesting IDF medical experimentation onsoldiers, government announces Ministry of Health to supervise suchexperiments. State officials reported to the High Court of Justice on Sunday that allmedical experiments on IDF soldiers are to be conducted…

Editorial: Israeli government admits anthrax experiment caused injuries and takes responsibility for their care

w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m Last update – 02:23 20/02/2008 Experiments in full responsibility By Haaretz Editorial The state’s response to a High Court of Justice petition by soldiers who were subjected to medical experiments with anti-anthrax drugs (the experiments known as Omer 2) is…

One reason drugs may be used for years before risks become evident is that we have no active drug surveillance system-Mark McClellan, FDA Commissioner

Although no significant improvements in drug safety occurred while he was FDA Commissioner from 2002 to 2004, Dr. McClellan now acknowledges the need for improved safety surveillance at FDA, in a commentary in the April 26, 2007 New England Journal of Medicine. This issue contains several articles on FDA assessment of drug safety. Jerry Avorn,…

Final Defense Authorization Bill Includes Allen Provision that Seeks Answers about Vaccinations for Military Personnel

Wednesday December 12, 2007 Credits Barbara Damon-Day for her “determination to spare other military families distress about possible health risks to their loved ones” Washington, D.C. (Wednesday, December 12, 2007)—U.S. Representative Tom Allen announced today that the House-Senate conference report on the defense authorization bill for Fiscal Year 2008 includes his amendment directing the Department…

More fake “science” on anthrax vaccine illness

Note: despite retiring from the military 17 months ago, John Grabenstein supervised the following study. Also note that a physical exam cannot identify Gulf War Syndrome (this has been widely acknowledged, and is one reason the existence of GWS was denied) or anthrax vaccine side effects 99% of the time–you need specialized tests for both….

Caution flag raised on mandatory anthrax vaccines

Former Air Force navigator says neurological reaction has left him disabled By ELLEN GABLERegabler@journalsentinel.com Posted: Oct. 28, 2007 With his trim runner’s build, tight flattop and thin, muscular arms, Stephen DeGuire does not seem like a man who is unable to empty the dishwasher, mow the lawn or throw baseballs to his young sons. He…

Two HIgh Court petitions in Israel over anthrax vaccine tests on soldiers

Group wants end to Israeli anthrax tests Published: Nov. 1, 2007 at 9:36 AM Font size: JERUSALEM, Nov. 1 (UPI) — A rights group petitioned Israel’s High Court on Thursday to stop the military from performing anthrax vaccine experiments on soldiers. Physicians for Human Rights filed one petition, while a second was filed by a…

Surveillance reveals anthrax vaccine safety an issue

Surveillance for Safety After Immunization: Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) — United States, 1991–2001 Surveillance Summaries January 24, 2003 / 52(ss01);1-24 This CDC compilation of adverse event reporting information: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5201a1.htm – Vol 52, No 1;1 tells us that anthrax vaccine had the highest reporting rate of adverse events for any currently licensed US vaccine,…

Senate Veterans Affairs Testimony on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses

My testimony to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee was written to answer many persisting questions about these illnesses. It discussed the myths and the facts, while reviewing the recent research on Gulf War Syndrome. I tried to highlight what has been missing from the studies, and provide some ideas on where to go from here….

Is Anthrax Vaccine Really Being Used to Save Soldiers from Anthrax?

Let’s explore the reasoning for using anthrax vaccine. It is supposed to protect you against anthrax. No studies of the current vaccine have been done in humans to see if it works, and how well it would work. It works in some animals but not others. But for argument’s sake, let’s assume it works well….

Bioport/Emergent Biosolutions Buys Another Republican Operative

August 29, 2007 Veteran GOP spokeswoman heads to private sector by Jonathan Martin RNC spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt is leaving the comfy confines of First Street S.E. to ply her PR skills in the corporate world. Schmitt, a SoCal native, will serve as director of corporate communications for Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., a Rockville, Md.-based biopharma company…

Avoiding Liability: The Drug Licensing Game the FDA Plays With The Department of Defense

From 2003: Click here to learn about 3 unusual licensing decisions, which circumvented liability for injuries caused by the following drug and vaccines: Example 1: Pyridostigmine bromide (aka PB or NAPS tablets). Example 2: Smallpox vaccine. Example 3: Anthrax vaccine. “Fully licensed” for the first 520,000 military recipients

FDA documents show that “licensed” anthrax vaccine never demonstrated human efficacy

CDC, which performed some vaccine tests, acknowledged in 1968 that, “As to the efficacy of the vaccine, we have no real method of determining the protection afforded.” FDA records show that in 1969 the ad hoc committee to license anthrax vaccine found a lack of “scientific evidence for efficacy of the vaccine.” The committee chairman,…

“Improvement Needed in FDA’s Postmarket Decisionmaking and Oversight Process” — GAO

Why is anthrax vaccine still on the market if it is as bad as this website claims? The reason has to do with gross failures of regulation at FDA. The Government Accountability Office said it better than I can, in a March 2006 report: “FDA lacks clear and effective processes for making decisions about, andproviding…

Featured Quote

December 24, 2001Dr. D.A. Henderson, Health and Human Services’s director of public health preparedness, said, “If this were a vaccine which… had no associated reactions [and] would work very well, that would be one thing, but this vaccine does have reactions associated with it, so there’s a negative side to it.”

Testimony of Meryl Nass at House Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee

On July 26, 2007 I spoke to the Committee on Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee about the role of anthrax vaccine in Gulf War illnesses, and the role of the Department of Veterans Affairs in researching, diagnosing, treating and compensating ill veterans. My written testimony is a 9 page summary of the science on anthrax vaccine…

670 SERIOUS Adverse Events Reported to FDA (includes 44 deaths)

FDA released its compilation of 670 SERIOUS adverse event reports filed with the VAERS system for anthrax vaccine.. This includes 44 deaths that were reported as suspected vaccine-related adverse events. You can review the entire list. Reports that FDA has designated serious comprise 12.5% of the total anthrax vaccine VAERS reports filed. The list is…

US has stockpiled treatments for anthrax infections

The availability of treatments for anthrax after an exposure eliminates the need for pre-exposure vaccination. The National Strategic Stockpile now contains both antiserum and monoclonal antibodies for anthrax, in addition to a range of antibiotics that were added prior to the Project Bioshield acquisitions. General Russell, former commander at Fort Detrick, wrote the following: Clin…

Major Study into Long-Term Health Effects, 4/2000: Where are the Results?

DepSecDef Rudy deLeon testified to Congress on April 13, 2000 that federal agencies were working together to study the long-term effects of anthrax vaccine. Seven years later, where is the study? See National Guard Association report below: Anthrax study conducted as supplies run low “Federal agencies are collaborating in a major study into long-term health…

GAO Report: 1-2% have adverse events which may result in disability or death

On June 29, 2007 a Government Accountability Office report was issued regarding the military Vaccine Healthcare Centers, which were formed in 2001 to take care of injuries from anthrax vaccine. They have treated 2,400 ill soldiers, the vast majority for illnesses developing in close proximity to anthrax vaccinations. Page 4 of the report says, “Officials…

Minimizing the Generation of Adverse Event Reports

There are only two large databases of information on anthrax vaccine and adverse reactions. The first is the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS) database, which the two Institute of Medicine Committees (reporting in 2002 and 2003) studying anthrax vaccine said should be opened to independent researchers, and should receive more resources to better study anthrax…

Emergent Biosolutions/Bioport Board of Directors; How to sell to the US Government

Joe M. Allbaugh. Mr. Allbaugh was Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush from 1995 through 1999 when he was Governor of Texas. Mr. Allbaugh was later Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Louis Sullivan, MD. Dr. Sullivan served as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the cabinet of President George H.W….

Selected Findings and Research Recommendations of Eight Different Committees that have Studied Anthrax Vaccine since 1998

I compiled selected recommendations of the House Government Reform Committee and seven federal advisory committees that were charged with investigating the vaccine program. These recommendations regard additional, needed research on vaccine safety. Click here for their findings.

DOD Misinforms Congress and the Public on Anthrax Vaccine Safety

DoD produced and distributed a long memo alleging that both short and long-term safety of anthrax vaccine have been established: “There are no known long-term patterns of side effects from the anthrax vaccine, based on an ongoing series of studies…” I decided to annotate the document to correct many of its errors and omissions.

Vaccine Healthcare Center physicians identify new muscle disease related to anthrax vaccinations

I discovered the following 3 year old conference presentation on the internet. Information on this syndrome has not been published in the medical literature, nor is information about it available on the VHC website. The recorded presentation is of great interest. Thursday, May 13, 2004 – 11:45 AM5034 Reproducible Prolonged Myalgia Syndrome (RPMS) Following Multiple…

Congress demanded detailed research on anthrax vaccine in 1999

The Congressional Record (HR Rep. No. 106-371 at 254-55) shows that on October 8, 1999 it stated, “The Department[of Defense] is directed to enter into a contract with the National Research Council to independently study the effectiveness and safety of the anthrax vaccine. The following issues shall be considered in the report: the types and…

Military Physicians Identify Serious Autoimmune Lung Disease Caused by Anthrax Vaccine

Navy doctors discuss a case of bronchiolitis obliterans that developed shortly after anthrax vaccination. They ruled out other causes of the condition. Their review was published in a highly regarded pulmonary journal. I am aware of other cases of this potentially devastating illness that developed in close temporal relationship to anthrax vaccine. In this critical…

Congress Tried to Solve the Problems with Anthrax Vaccine, But Failed

Congress tried to fix the worst aspects of the anthrax vaccine program, and obtain more reliable information on anthrax vaccine between 1999 and 2002. Congress appears to have failed for two reasons: it does not like to step on DOD’s toes, and it was outsmarted. Congress demanded Vaccine Healthcare Centers Congress likes win-win situations and…

Mental Disorders were also linked to anthrax vaccine in data supplied to the Institute of Medicine

Overall, hospitalizations for mental disorders overall more than doubled after anthrax vaccinations. For servicemembers who received one to three vaccine doses, hospitalization rates for mental illness tripled following vaccination. Hospitalizations for affective psychosis in those who received at least one and less than four doses of vaccine were five times greater than before vaccination. In…

Anthrax vaccine related to multiple cancers and other illnesses:

Army statistics provided to Institute of Medicine in 2001 but never published What conditions are found much more often after anthrax vaccinations? The list is surprising, and (unsurprisingly) women are especially affected. This series of 3 tables does not give us the raw data, instead providing data that has been statistically adjusted by the army….

Evidence anthrax vaccine causes heart attacks

Many (young) soldiers have had heart attacks after anthrax vaccinations. Could the two be related? The Army Medical Surveillance Activity (AMSA) compiled data on over 300,000 recipients of anthrax vaccine, and looked at their rates of heart attacks before and after anthrax vaccinations. This data was shared with the Institute of Medicine in 2001 at…

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Medical Associations Investigate Anthrax Vaccine Trial that Sickened Dozens of Soldiers http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/863699.html This is an update on the Israeli vaccine injury situation. The Israeli Medical Association’s ethics bureau will investigate whether “volunteer” soldiers were actually given proper informed consent, guaranteed the most minimum risk as a result of their volunteer participation, and otherwise treated ethically…

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Women are Inordinately Harmed by Anthrax Vaccine There is consensus regarding the fact that women have 2 to 3 times the rate of adverse reactions as men. Every study that has looked into this issue has found the same thing. The following four studies were done by 3 groups of different military researchers, and the…

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