Pfizer Vaccine Batch Banned Over Infant Deaths
17 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // November 6th, 2009 // 7:57 am
Dutch authorities say they have banned use of a batch of Prevnar, which Pfizer acquired as part of its purchase of Wyeth, after three infants died within two weeks of receiving the anti-infection vaccination, Reuters reports.
“On average about 5 to 10 deaths are reported annually after babies get vaccines,” a spokeswoman for the Dutch health institute RIVM tells Reuters. “We now have three cases in a short period; that is unusual, and the reason for suspending the batch.” She adds RIVM is investigating the cause of the infants’ deaths. Other batches will continue to be used.
Pfizer spokeswoman Gwen Fisher tells Reuters preliminary investigations by Pfizer and health authorities found no link between the vaccinations and the deaths. She adds that Pfizer initiated the “quarantine” of the batch, which contained 110,000 doses of the pneumoccocal vaccine.
She adds the infants also received two unrelated other vaccines as part of routine immunizations, and that no other Prevenar batches were suspended, and infants in the Netherlands will continue to be vaccinated with it as part of routine immunization. A spokesman for the European Medicines Agency tells Reuters officials are working with the Dutch authorities to find out whether there were any safety issues with the vaccine batch.
DC
Prevnar causes multidrug resistant serotype 19A to become the dominant strain of pneumococcus while doing very little to decrease disease burden; Prevnar decreases pneumonia caused by the vaccine associated strains but barely touches overall pneumonia rates in children, it has never been approved for meningitis since the baseline rates are so low. It decreases ear infections by 7% but 90% of ear infections don’t require antibiotics. Prevnar has the highest side effect rate of all the infant vaccines with double the febrile seizure rate, there’s evidence it interferes with other vaccines given at the same time but definitive studies were never completed. It was the highest grossing pharmaceutical for Wyeth for 2 years. It is a disgrace.
Beaten Dead Horse
Ed, if I remember correctly, there was an article in the Star Ledger about Prevnar shortages due to CDC shutdown around May/June 2004.
And this $&@” is STILL an issue???
In my opinion, several pairs of handcuffs need to be put to good use. NOW.
Beaten Dead Horse
By the way, Bravo, DC. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Beaten Dead Horse
You know what’s great about the Prevnar logo? Underneath, it says “Every Dose Matters”.
Does it? Really? Does it?
That wasn’t the case when the shortage due to CDC shutdown caused Wyeth to proclaim that “two doses is sufficient”, when there was not enough to go around.
Damn hippocrates. Off with their proverbial heads.
Atlex
DC, the CDC, FDA, ACIP, AAP and most every reputable medical organization involved in vaccines and children’s health, disagree with your conclusion. But I guess there must be a conspiracy among all of those parties.
As to this particular case, thus far neither the Dutch authorities nor Pfizer has found any linkage between the batch of vaccines and the deaths of three babies. However, both are taking responsible action by being extra cautious. That’s an example of how industry and government should behave. I guess, though, that’s a conspiracy too. Right?
Red Fraggle
Atlex,
If you had a clue about this vaccine, it’s history of manufacturing problems, it’s shutdown, it’s shortage, and it’s apparent failure to get their S$&& together, you’d eat your own words with a fine Merlot.
The risks FAR outweigh it’s benefit. Always have, always will.
JaT
“On average about 5 to 10 deaths are reported annually after babies get vaccines”
I know that nothing is perfect but it sounds like this is believed to be an acceptable figure. As long as it happens over time.
It just seems to me, as drug companies are touting their own importance- saying that R&D will be reduced without funding, incentives, or because of suits- that the real research happens in the population. Pharma does their level best to prove a consumer is at fault when things go wrong.
(Pfizer can’t make a connection here? What a surprize. Still they held the batch. Interesting).
R&D appears to have been reduced to
Rebranding and Discovery
based on the population’s reactions to drug products anyway. Seriously, what’s new in the pipeline? Who is providing that discovery? Chemists? They aren’t consuming all this stuff. The consumer gets paid by being treated as insignificant.
5 to 10 babies a year?
Sorry, that just hurt my heart and rubbed me wrong. These are people- families- not conditions or stats. I am obviously naive.
Muck Santomieri
And what about other damage caused by vaccines that have aluminum shards small enough to “not be detected by the naked eye”, timerisol, etc that cause autism and other disorders realized later in life?
Atlex
JaT,
I think you are misinterpeting the statement. The Dutch officials are saying that of the entire cohort of babies receiving vaccines each year, 5 to 10 typically die. They didn’t say “as a result of the vaccine.” Unfortunately, a small number of babies die each year from a wide variety of causes. In some instances these deaths occur after vaccines, not as the result of vaccines.
As for Red Fraggle, I presume you too must believe in a conspiracy theory since every major scientific organization that has weighed in on vaccines, has endorsed this vaccine and the entire set of childhood vaccines.
Plain and simple, vaccines are the single greatest public health advance in human history. Unfortunately, too many people today have no regard for and no memory of children dying of polio, meningitis, chicken pox, etc.
Red Fraggle
No Atlex,
I just know things you don’t.
Put it to rest.
Nathan
Atlex,
I think Red Fraggle dressed up as an epidemiologist for Halloween. He just forgot that Halloween was last week… :-> Or maybe he’s a Pfizer/Wyeth insider with secret information that the rest of us don’t have…
Here’s a quote from Wikipedia. But I suppose it was written by one of those evil pharma conspirators:
“After introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in 2000, several studies described a decrease in invasive pneumococcal disease in the United States. One year after its introduction, a group of investigators found a 69% drop in the rate of invasive disease in those age less than 2 years of age.[5] By 2004, all-cause pneumonia admission rates had declined by 39% (95% CI 22–52) and rates of hospitalizations for pneumococcal meningitis decreased by 66% (95% CI 56.3-73.5) in children younger than 2.[10][11]
Interestingly, rates of invasive pneumococcal disease among adults has also declined since the introduction of the vaccine.[5][11] Although, it is more difficult to specifically attribute this decline in adults to the childhood pneumococcal conjugate vaccine since the adult pneumococcal 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine is also available.
JaT
Hi Atlex,
It is as easy to assume the vaccines are responsible as not responsible. If they are responsible the family loses so much. If they are responsible the drug companies have a bank of attorneys to pick those losses apart. I know the routine.
It is wrong to make assumptions either way but you have to admit the ‘we did not do it’ mantra is so over the top that it resembles protesting too much. Especially in the face of bad calls, non-disclosures, & blatant misconduct.
I think a good part of the problem is mandatory inoculations (speaking generally), which, if not complied with, leaves children unable to attend public schools. And worse, threats of neglect if parents don’t comply. It’s an opportunists dream. Hard to swallow even if the company making the product didn’t make themselves look corrupt.
If only they would do the right thing when they know they are wrong. But it is more like our auto-insurance guy saying “Never Admit Guilt”. Come on, sometimes it’s glaring.
For that reason there is a natural distrust. If they can’t be forthcoming when they know they are wrong- the natural reaction is to assume they are always dishonest. They created that. I am not anti-vaccine, just, I can no longer find them without guilt wherever it is available. A judge responds to a defendent in the same way. Lie and you are a liar.
I don’t know if I’m being unfair.
Adriana Gamondes
JaT: In all but one state, children can get religious exemptions from vaccination in order to attend school. In many states, medical and even philosophical exemptions exist. In some states, this is made quite difficult but in many, it’s routine.
As far as vaccine makers gathering up their lawyers to fight claims…not so much. It’s very damning to the idea that vaccines are thoroughly safe and effective that vaccine makers lobbied for and gained virtual legal immunity from vaccine injury suits. You can’t sue out of the gate even if your child’s head explodes after a vaccination or a series. These cases are all routed to “vaccine court”– paid for by a tax on every vaccination– where the burden of proof is on the families and is almost impossible to surmount. Plaintiffs get no discovery, there’s no jury, the case is against the government and the government supplies the “special masters” and attorneys. The rulings have been consistently arbitrary for the most part and an outright miscarriage of justice in others. The court’s conflict of interest– and that interest is to protect the vaccine schedule– is preposterous.
After many legal hoops along these lines, some families may be able to sue manufacturers but this remains hypothetical.
All the same, a series of families have won claims in this non-court for vaccine induced conditions, including multiple sclerosis and autism and several other conditions related to autism (but not called such as a strategy by plaintiff attorneys). It comes as a surprise to many that the government, which unilaterally denies that vaccines can cause autism, has already given out undisclosed awards to three or more families for vaccine-induced autism in a child (Poling v. HHS; Banks v. HHS).
JaT
Thanks Adriana, seems I didn’t know the routine at all.
Lucca Brasi
You’re all effing clueless.
The Toothfairy
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Yes Atlex, good boy. ::pat on the head:: There is absolutely no reason to think that these organizations are not for any reason not doing it’s job as the public expects.
Good little boy. I will leave a quarter under your pillow tonight.
Red Fraggle
Nathan,
You are speaking in percentages. What are the numbers otherwise? If out of 1,000,000 people each year and 200 of them get any and all of the diseases Prevnar purports to prevent, this does not arouse me all that much. I think for a 2.7 BILLION a year product, Prevnar is self serving to the manufacturers pockets. Not much else. I bet any of us (except for that guy who thinks the government is protecting him and his loved ones) could think of far better ways to medicate far more widespread diseases.
Sure, so there have been 200 a year that were effected, and now there are 50. That makes 150 less ear infections, etc each year. Again, considering the fact that vaccines in general have aluminum shards and thimerisol in them, the risks far outweigh any possible benefits.
It requires four doses over time, and now the company insists that every dose matters. When the CDC halted production because of horrid and unsafe production practices, parents and doctors were up in arms over the shortage that ensued. To protect their own rep, Wyeth staunchly stood by their belief that two doses were sufficient. Come on people, think for yourselves.
A 75% decrease in any disease sounds good, but it’s just an illusion of a brick that when turned on it’s side is nothing but a thin playing card.
And a joker at that.
Prevnar and Pneumo-23 are far more dangerous than helpful.
Altex, it seems like you can retire earlier now with the 25 cents that’s comingg to you. Brilliant work!!!