Important article by Gardiner Harris about the new, improving FDA: The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that four New Jersey congressmen and its own former commissioner unduly influenced the process that led to its decision last year to approve a patch for injured knees, an approval it is now revisiting… The agency has never…

From Jefferson T et al. in this week’s BMJ:    The disparity in effectiveness between the high profile of influenza vaccines and antivirals and the low profile of physical interventions is striking. Public health recommendations are almost completely based on the use of vaccines and antivirals despite the lack of strong evidence.1 Vaccines work best…

by Australian Infectious Diseases professor Peter Collignon at the ANU: In 1976, a small group of soldiers at Fort Dix in the US were infected with a swine flu virus. It had an apparent high mortality rate and was deemed similar to the virus responsible for the great 1918-19 worldwide flu pandemic. The US government…

From the Sept. 21 Newsday: Dozens of Long Island nurses – many from Stony Brook University Medical Center – plan to rally with health care workers from across the state next week in Albany to protest a state regulation that mandates they be vaccinated for swine flu or lose their jobs. The New York State…

With respect to squalene-containing (a.k.a. oil-in-water emulsion) adjuvants, the September 21 New York Times’ Andrew Pollack has done some excellent reporting:  …“These are products that potentially can be given to millions of healthy people,” said Dr. Jesse Goodman, chief scientist at the Food and Drug Administration. “There is not a known, specific safety danger or…

From the NY Times: “This is just not the right flu season to take this on,” said Dr. Frieden, who previously was the New York City health commissioner.[He was responding to questions about mandatory flu vaccinations–Nass] …Over all, virologists say, of every 100 people who faithfully get flu shots, only about 70 are fully protected…

from the Canadian Press: Researchers from Melbourne, Australia tested pregnant patients with life-threatening swine flu infections for levels of antibody in different antibody subclasses.  This test is rarely done, but is used to investigate possible immune deficiencies.  Serendipitously, the researchers and treating physicians found that one class of antibody (IgG2) was low in most of…

APIC is the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.  Its President and most officers are RNs, but no particular qualifications are required for membership, apart from a $175 annual fee.  An August 31, 2009 APIC announcement says, “The association’s more than 12,000 members direct infection control programs that save lives and improve the…

A notice was issued in December 2007 regarding the process for seeking compensation under the 2006 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act  (PREPA).  The DHHS Secretary Sibelius has designated the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to address adverse vaccine reactions.  HRSA created a Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program, modeled on the VICP, with the potential…

Everybody knows some things are good for health and some things are bad.  Yet one rarely learns the magnitude of the positive or negative effect, making it impossible to take the logical approach, which is to balance risks and benefits as we make all sorts of choices. For example, how much benefit will I receive…

Over and over, I have seen media reports that claim, regarding the 1976 flu vaccine and Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS): “scientists never proved whether that link was real or coincidence”–as reported in Lauran Neergard’s Associated Press article Sept. 15 and again by her on September 27.  Or by Maggie Fox (Reuters) on Sept. 17: “Guillain-Barre…

An FDA Press Release today notes that vaccines made by MedImmune (the nasal spray attenuated live virus vaccine) and killed vaccines from CSL (Commonwealth Scientific Laboratories, Australia), Novartis and Sanofi Pasteur have been approved for use (licensed). These are the vaccines made without novel adjuvants.  Based on FDA’s statement that, “All four firms manufacture the…

The UK head of immunization, Dr. David Salisbury, wrote today to the Guardian that the decision had been taken to add adjuvants to the H1N1 vaccine, if the virus mutates.  Salisbury claims this would offer cross-protection. It might, but it might not.  Until the virus mutates you won’t know. Salisbury contends that, “the UK has…

On December 2-3, 2008, FDA with joint NIAID sponsorship held a public workshop “for academics, government researchers, government regulators, vaccine clinical trial experts and industry representatives. The purpose of this workshop is to assess the scientific knowledge base regarding vaccine adjuvants and to facilitate the development of a research agenda to improve the safety and…

With 45 million doses expected October 15, and 20 million vaccine doses available weekly thereafter, 85 million high-risk Americans will be able to receive their single needed swine flu vaccination during October.  By the end of November, another 80 million (lower risk) Americans could be vaccinated. That will probably cover everyone who wants to be…

Associated Press In accord with what we’ve learned from the mortality data, the G-7 plus Mexico group chose to omit children, but include pregnant women, in the group most at risk of death or severe illness from swine flu infection: those who should be offered vaccination first. Wedded to its earlier pronouncements, however, CDC continues…

If you convene an expert group to issue a set of recommendations, they will be issued.  What the groups’ report may omit is an explanation of the sufficiency of the data.  Nor will their report provide an idea of how statistically likely the conclusions are to be right or wrong.  Historically, the experts usually issue…

From the Associated Press: Roughly half of health workers skip the immunizations, raising two concerns: If doctors and nurses get sick, who will treat what could be millions of Americans reeling from seasonal or swine flu? And could infected health workers make things worse by spreading flu to patients? New York, the first state to…

Thanks to Merrill Goozner: FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meets on Tuesday, September 9. It will consider the safety and efficacy of an HPV vaccine for girls from GlaxoSmithKline called Cervarix.  In an earlier post, I noted that the safety of Cervarix (which includes the squalene-containing adjuvant ASO4) was controversial.  No US…

Finally, a series of logical experiments were done by Drs. Nareen Abboud and Arturo Casadevall to see what small peptides might stimulate immunity to anthrax.  Two were found:  one is five and the other six amino acids long.   Each is immunogenic and protected macrophages from anthrax toxin. Their efficacy and safety in other models is…

The Lancet’s H1N1 Flu Resource Center includes this interesting article on the provenance of the swine flu virus.  CDC submitted a first set of completed coding sequences (8 gene segments) for the 2009 swine flu virus to GenBank on April 27, 2009. Drs. Hong Zhang and Ling Chen of Zunyi Medical College, China, compared the…

I think I have had influenza twice, based on my symptom pattern and the fact I was exposed to flu cases.  But every winter I care for flu patients, so I have probably been exposed to flu viruses repeatedly each season.  But I generally stay well.  Why? For each infectious disease, an “infectious dose” has…

Xinhua, September 5, 2009: Total US swine flu deaths are at 593; this is confirmed by CDC.  Total US hospitalizations are 9,079.  California has had 144 deaths. New cases at 165 US universities totalled 1,640 last week.  No college students have died. WHO reported total global deaths of 2,837. The MMWR mortality in children report…

The Atlanta Journal Constitution tells us that Atlanta’s large public hospital, Grady Memorial, is requiring that seasonal flu shots be given to all employees. “Several factors led Emory officials to make taking the seasonal flu vaccine mandatory — protecting patients and providing a safe environment for workers; the fact that the seasonal flu and swine…

The BBC reports:  The UK has lowered its worst-case scenario estimate of possible swine flu-related deaths from 65,000 to 19,000.  Seventy people have died so far in the UK, while 6,000 to 8,000 die yearly from seasonal flu.    Advisors have now agreed that the swine flu death rate is lower than previously thought, likely to…

From the LA Times blog: Since the outbreak this spring of the novel H1N1, public health officials have treated the new so-called swine flu as if it were a replay of the devastating 1918 Spanish flu, which claimed tens of millions of victims and was particularly devastating to people who were otherwise young and healthy……

From today’s Bloomberg News Kudos to Dr. Frieden, who said, perhaps in response to front page news that Novartis’ (squalene-adjuvanted) swine flu vaccine would require only one dose (after initial testing in 100 subjects): “We don’t anticipate that we’ll be using adjuvanted vaccine in most of the scenarios that we anticipate now, though that could…

It’s September.  Kids are back in school.  A federal panel predicted a worst-case scenario of 90,000 Americans dead from complications of swine flu ten days ago. CDC’s Clinician Guidance:  Identifying and Caring for Patients is still dated May 4 and fails to provide any guidance based on study of the pandemic’s characteristics. It still says,…

Spokane’s Spokesman-Review reported on a local meeting held by CDC on Aug. 29 (one of ten held throughout the US) to elicit comments on the upcoming swine flu vaccination program.   The campaign to immunize children and other vulnerable people against the fast-spreading H1N1 influenza virus should be moderate – perhaps even passive – a panel…

The French performed a meta-analysis of the effectiveness and safety of flu vaccines containing MF59 for elderly recipients. Local and systemic adverse reactions were higher with vaccines containing MF59, but mortality rates were unimproved. Here is the abstract: Prescrire Int. 2004 Dec;13(74):206-8. Influenza vaccine with squalene adjuvant: new preparation. No better than available products. [No…

One third of the Italian supply of swine flu vaccine (8 million doses) will be distributed mid November to mid-December. The other two thirds will be distributed after January 31, 2010. Italy is taking a Christmas vaccine break. They don’t feel the need to get everyone vaccinated by Halloween or Thanksgiving, thank goodness. How civilized….

Article By MARIA CHENG (AP) LONDON — About half of Hong Kong’s health workers would refuse the swine flu vaccine, new research says, a trend that experts say would likely apply worldwide. In a study that polled 2,255 Hong Kong health workers this year, researchers found even during the height of global swine flu panic…

According to the Guardian, “Several studies suggest up to 60% of GPs would oppose being immunised because they are concerned the safety trials will be rushed.. The biggest reason given by those who said they would not have it was concern that the safety trials would not be adequate: 71.3% said they were “concerned that…

The Washington Post’s Rob Stein updates us on the current thinking about availability of swine flu vaccine and its voluntary nature. He does not cover liability issues nor how care will be delivered for illnesses that attend vaccination. Excerpts: “There’s little doubt we’re going to vaccinate people,” said Anthony S. Fauci of the National Institute…

The Daily Mail reported on letters sent to 600 neurologists in the UK by its Health Protection Agency, asking them to be observant for, and immediately report, cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome [GBS]. The letter is a tacit acknowledgment of the risk of using an untested vaccine with novel ingredients. But it also indicates that the…

Excerpts from this Aug 15, 2009 story from the AP: In Europe, Glaxo is testing vaccines with an adjuvant, a chemical compound used to stretch a vaccine’s active ingredient and boost the body’s immune response. In Canada and the United States, Glaxo is testing vaccines both with and without adjuvants. Neither country has ever licensed…

DHHS’s National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) met February 5-6, 2009. Here is a section of the NVAC minutes that dealt with the concept of vaccinating the public for a “Bird Flu” H5N1 pandemic–vaccinating before an epidemic appeared.  Remember that Bird Flu, though deadly, has not spread from one person to another, but only from a…

[You heard about the lack of crucial, clinical information here first. CDC’s skimpy information for clinicians on managing H1N1 cases is still dated May 4, 2009! I complained about this gross failure of the public health system to share information on June 22, 2009, yet the information, and the public servants who should be offering…

[After breaking client-therapist confidentiality, and filing for a “Peace Order,” with an FBI agent accompanying her to court, Ms. Duley hasn’t been seen or heard from since–Nass] http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_columnist.htm?StoryID=93767Katherine HeerbrandtA shocking mockeryAugust 12, 2009 With the anniversary of Bruce Ivins’ death and subsequent character assassination by the FBI and Department of Justice, comes “new” information supporting…

Review of prior epidemics refutes theory that virus gets more severe Fauci’s staff publish paper doubting serious epidemic to come: TUESDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) — The theory that a relatively mild outbreak of a new flu virus in the spring predicts a more severe, deadly outbreak in the fall isn’t borne out by a…

Joseph Brownstein of ABC News wrote a useful article today with plenty of content. Thanks! “Killed” vaccines contain one or more antigens (molecules that resembles part of the microbe you are protecting against), and usually also preservatives and antimicrobial products like formaldehyde and thimerosal (50% mercury). Most contain an aluminum adjuvant, which strengthens their effectiveness…but…

Per the AP: “…To increase the global supply of swine flu vaccines, WHO recommends that countries use ones containing adjuvants, a component that stretches the vaccine’s active ingredient and boosts the body’s immune response. Adjuvants are commonly used in flu vaccines in Europe, [only in those over 65, and only in some countries–Nass] but there…

Now here is a very surprising editorial from the Aug. 7 Australian. It was penned by Lawrence O. Gostin, now a visiting professor at the University of Sydney. Gostin authored the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act, on contract to CDC. Versions (or parts) of the Act have been passed so far in 38 states….

1. The US government is using laws designed for dealing with a very deadly pandemic, or bioterrorism, to bring about a mass vaccination program for swine flu, beginning with the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act 0f 2006. http://www.hhs.gov/disasters/emergency/manmadedisasters/bioterorism/medication-vaccine-qa.html 2. This law removes liability from the manufacturer, medical practitioners who use the product, and from…

The story comes from the Peoples Daily/Xinhua press release, and there does not appear to be independent reporting. The BBC has reported for two days on cases of pneumonic plague in a remote area of western China, said to be inhabited primarily by Tibetans. Although plague can be transmitted to humans via insect bites (due…

From the Aug 1, 2009 Lancet online: Last week, Australia and the USA announced that they would begin trials of an H1N1 vaccine. Vaccination against H1N1 will be an important development in controlling the impact of the pandemic. However, several thorny issues exist around vaccine manufacture and approval. All countries will require the vaccine but…

The Frederick News Post covered the first meeting of the NAS panel to validate the FBI microbial forensics work. The panel was addressed by Rep. Rush Holt and key scientist Claire Fraser-Liggett, among others. Excerpts: “If the technical and scientific procedures are as flawed as the nontechnical procedures, they certainly deserve a look,” said Rep….

Excerpts from the Editorial: The FBI’s case against Ivins is almost wholly circumstantial. It includes his strained behavior while under suspicion and surveillance by the FBI, which he was aware of before apparently committing suicide in July 2008. While the NAS study may well validate the scientific protocols used by the FBI in its investigation,…

Excerpts from article by Joby Warrick and Carrie Johnson exactly one year after the death of Bruce Ivins was made public: “Our government — and specifically, the FBI — suffers from a credibility gap on this issue,” Rep. Rush D. Holt (D-N.J.) told an expert panel that convened in Washington this week to begin reviewing…

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.

We are 2 months into the outbreak with H1N1 (swine) influenza, a variant not previously identified in humans. However, data suggest it was circulating unnoticed in pigs for years. It has two characteristics of concern: it spreads from person to person a bit more readily than older flu strains, and it seems to keep on…

Atul Gawande wrote a 2004 article in the New Yorker that was a stunner. I thought cystic fibrosis patients died around thirty years of age. Turns out they don’t have to. At one cystic fibrosis clinic in Minnesota, patients hardly ever die. How was this achieved? It took a doctor who was absolutely compulsive about…

Over 9,000 undocumented microbial samples turned up in Fort Detrick’s three-month long inventory, completed last month. But that doesn’t mean we have a problem with biosecurity at the Army labs, does it? Nor does it suggest a similar problem might exist at the many labs that have sprung up since 9/11 in the US Government-sponsored…

Finally a mainstream article (in the NY Times, no less) redefines the misunderstood notion of rationing and healthcare reform. David Leonhardt’s timely and important article deconstructs (I love that word; here’s one definition of it: textual analysis that can reveal hidden ideological assumptions) rationing. Here is a definition of rationing: the controlled distribution of resources…

Health care per capita in the United States costs at least double nearly every other country on earth. Yet our longevity, infant mortality, and other health indices lag behind the rest of the industrial world. What’s not to change about such a system? Think of it: we do the same tests and radiology studies as…

Atul Gawande is a marvelous writer, as well as a surgeon. In an article in today’s New Yorker, Gawande proves himself to be in the first rank of health care pundits, as well. His extraordinary article is a joy to read, but also extremely important. For example, it identifies and explores the reasons a negative…

The 2009 “Swine flu” A (H1N1) outbreak has been recognized for the past six weeks. It has been studied intensively, we are told, and a number of Americans have died from the disorder, although less than 1% of those diagnosed with this specific virus. It apparently is a bit more contagious than the usual flu,…

This article, from the journal Homeland Security Affairs, recaps the history of the anthrax vaccine program and explores how the anthrax letters attack might be related to it. Past problems with the Department of Defense anthrax vaccine currently impactnational emergency response plans approved by the Department of HomelandSecurity and Department of Health and Human Services….

According to an article by Yossi Melman, the US spent $200 million dollars for Israel to develop and produce an anthrax vaccine, and test it on Israeli soldiers during the 1990s. When the US military was testing plenty of other experimental vaccines on American soldiers during the 1990s (I know of at least half a…

from Science: Michael McNeil’s portfolio of flawed anthrax vaccine safety studies at CDC is going away. Drum roll, please. This is a good thing, since the studies were basically a boondoggle lacking a scientific foundation. Even Army vaccine scientists, as well as this blog’s owner, published criticisms of the laughable methodologies used by the CDC…

Brief article by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee: A long-awaited review of the scientific evidence relating to the investigationof the 2001 anthrax letter attacks is finally getting off the ground. The study,to be conducted by the National Academies, will check the validity of thescientific techniques used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in solving thecase. What the study…

Jim Binns, chairman of VA’s Research Advisory Committee on GW Veterans’ Illnesses since its inception, authored a detailed memo, with supporting documents, to show how Congress’ statutory charge to the IOM was changed to exclude animal studies and raise the bar for granting presumptive disabilities to ill Gulf War veterans. Jim deserves enormous thanks for…

No Signs of Criminal Misconduct Found Yet in Disappearance of Virus, Official Says This rather inconsequential article (lacking context) says Fort Detrick is still working on its inventory…going on 3 months now? Not surprisingly, the Army hasn’t found anything to be concerned about, according to Fort Detrick’s PR person. The article implies that much of…

Comments on: Ryan, MAK, et al. Birth Defects among Infants Born to Women Who Received Anthrax Vaccine in Pregnancy. American Journal of Epidemiology; July 2008. Meryl Nass, MD April 20, 2009 Dr. Margaret AK Ryan reports that of the 95,595 military women who delivered babies between 1998 and 2004, anthrax vaccine (one dose or more)…

Uwe Reinhardt, Princeton’s healthcare economist who has previously been featured in this blog, has posted a very interesting article to his NY Times blog. In it, he dissects the various roles of the healthcare system, using the German model to explain how some roles can be performed by government and others by private health insurance…

Information has many ways of falling through the cracks in hospitals and medical practices. The wrong test may be mistakenly ordered by the doctor. The ward secretary may order the wrong test. The lab may perform the wrong test, or rarely perform it on the wrong person. The result may not be available until after…

from YNet: Kadima Knesset Member and former Israeli Defense Force spokesman Nachman Shai on Friday said either a state commission of inquiry or a parliamentary commission of inquiry should be set up to look into the anthrax vaccine experiments conducted on IDF soldiers. MK Shai said, “The fact that the experiment was hidden from the…

From the Jerusalem Post From the AP Excerpts from today’s Ha’aretz: Dr. Reuven Porat, who chaired the medical committee, told Haaretz the panel had not been presented with any official documentation that shows the decision to develop, test and produce the vaccine had been authorized by the government. Similarly, there was no authorization presented from…

Another fascinating article on the Israeli anthrax vaccine experiments by Yossi Melman in Haaretz. Excerpts follow. It seems no one in Israel would take any responsibility for the experiment, which is being laid at the feet of (assassinated) former Prime Minister Itzhak Rabin — but no documentary evidence was given to the Israeli Medical Association…

Preventing bioterrorism: Thursday, March 12, 2009BY RUSH HOLTLast year, the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism — itself an outgrowth of the 9/11 Commission and its recommendations — issued its report. It used alarming language to prod our government to act. It affirmed something that was demonstrated with the…

For Immediate ReleaseMarch 6, 2009 Washington D.C.FBI National Press Office(202) 324-3691 FBI Responds to Science Issues in Anthrax Case FBI Laboratory Director D. Christian Hassell, PhD issued the following statement: During a recent American Society for Microbiology Biodefense (ASMBD) meeting in Baltimore , Maryland , questions were raised regarding two scientific analyses conducted during the…

Article in THE JERUSALEM POSTMar. 4, 2009Yaakov Lappin The Defense Ministry, Health Ministry and IDF said they took “full responsibility” for all side effects suffered by participants in a test of an anthrax vaccine, in a joint statement issued Wednesday. The statement will be submitted to the High Court next week as a reply to…

Glenn Greenwald‘s March 4, 2009 Salon article on Representative Rush Holt’s bill and the ramifications of the anthrax attack is a must-read. Great links. Here is an excerpt: The ultimate establishment organ, The Washington Post Editorial Page, issued numerous editorials expressing serious doubts about the FBI’s case against Ivins and called for an independent investigation….

For Immediate Release Contact: Zach Goldberg March 3, 2009202-225-5801 HOLT INTRODUCES ANTHRAX COMMISSION LEGISLATION Bill Would Create 9/11 Commission-Style Panel to Investigate Anthrax Attacks and Government Response (Washington, D.C.) – Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) today introduced the Anthrax Attacks Investigation Act of 2009 (HR 1248), legislation that would establish a Congressional commission to investigate the…

Healthcare is highly valued by our society, yet it seems that many of our pundits and politicians are willing to create a new healthcare system from whole cloth. In other words, let’s consider this or that experiment, and the winner will be the compromise melange that gets passed by Congress. (Definition of melange: a collection…

A two-paragraph article in today’s NY Times, sans byline, appears to end discussion of the so-called “chemical signature” said to identify the source of water used to grow the anthrax letter spores: On Tuesday at an American Society for Microbiology conference in Baltimore, an F.B.I. scientist, Jason D. Bannan, said the water research ultimately was…

from an article by Debora MacKenzie, who has been knowledgeably reporting on anthrax and bioterrorism at the New Scientist for more than a decade: . . . Next the team developed highly sensitive tests to screen all 1072 samples for four of the mutations. Eight samples had all four. One came from a flask labelled…

Six spot-on suggestions from Steve Nissen, MD to the Obama administration.

Nature article by Roberta Kwok discusses the American Society for Microbiology’s Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland on February 24, 2009. Excerpt: Joseph Michael, a materials scientist at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, presented analyses of three letters sent to the New York Post and to the offices of Senators…

Merrill Goozner discusses a BMJ article by Nigel Hawke about Britain’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, and how it might help those of us in the less-regulated medical world to get useful information on pharmaceuticals. Excerpts: The global pharmaceutical industry considers Great Britain’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) about as…

Excerpts from Dr. Jon Abramson’s ABC News Op-Ed: It’s perfect. Pfizer buys Wyeth‘s pipeline, the behemoth marketing power of Pfizer gets leveraged, the work force gets consolidated and the $22 billion borrowed is read as a sign that banks are willing to lend again… The core problem with American medicine isn’t really access or cost….

Here (or here, if you are having trouble viewing the first set of images) is a side by side comparison of the Sandia pictures (from Anonymous) with pictures of 2 different batches of anthrax spores from another paper. One picture shows anthrax spores WITH an intact exosporium, the other WITHOUT an intact exosporium. Clearly the…

Wonderful article by economist Uwe Reinhardt clarifying bizarre hospital charges and third-party reimbursements, and how much of the healthcare dollar they waste. Excerpt: Americans can be forgiven their ignorance on this issue because, as I put it in a recent paper on the subject, the pricing of hospital services is best described as “Chaos Behind…

Article by Justin Palk The U.S. Army released 33 pages of Bruce Ivins’ e-mails Thursday from his account at Fort Detrick. The e-mails, obtained by The Frederick News-Post under the Federal Freedom of Information Act, span the period from September 1998 through January 2002. The documents contain 16 threads of communication, some including multiple e-mails…

Excerpts from the article: … IDF soldiers were given seven doses of an anti-anthrax vaccine developed by the Nes Tziona biological institute. But there was no extended medical supervision of the vaccinated soldiers. A year and a half ago, a group of soldiers vaccinated in the experiment asked the IDF and Defense Ministry for all…