Fight for swine flu vaccine could get ugly

[denem]

Source: Associated Press

LONDON (16 July 2009) — An ugly scramble is brewing over the swine flu vaccine — and when it becomes available, Britain, the United States and other nations could find that the contracts they signed with pharmaceutical companies are easily broken.

Experts warn that during a global epidemic, which the world is in now, governments may be under tremendous pressure to protect their own citizens first before allowing companies to ship doses of vaccine out of the country.

That does not bode well for many nations, including the United States, which makes only 20 percent of the regular flu vaccines it uses, or Britain, where all of its flu vaccines are produced abroad.

"This isn't rocket science," said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. "If there is severe disease, countries will want to hang onto the vaccine for their own citizens."

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i7gN7uEKsp5QNVnXNLF0JCVT6FOAD99FMNP82

---

The News here is that United States may well pay the real cost of making only 20 percent of the regular flu vaccines it uses. In other words, the productive capacity to make our own vaccines is not simply not here; it's been exported over time.

Imagine the situation is a really deadly pandemic broke out, influenza or anything else. National Security is given as a reason for farm subsidies, but the US cannot afford self-sufficiency in vaccines?

[Fridays Child]

1. The security of this country has been thrown away with both hands.

And the piper will be paid.

[Dennis Donovan]

13. By the Big and Bloated For-Profit Health Care System...

:thumbsdown:

[Delphinus]

22. Another reason for me

not to get it. Of course, they'll get paid by my tax dollars no matter.

[PassingTimeHere]

2. No big deal.

The overlords at all these companies will make sure their own families and necessary surfs (employees) are vaccinated.

[kimmerspixelated]

12. If these companies actually let their loved ones get vaxed

then that would be a sign that they might be safer than believed. One recalls the mandatory vax debaucle in Maryland, where parents were arrested for not vaxing, and yet they found out the enforcers had signed waivers against it themselves. Something to think about.

[MercutioATC]

3. All the more reason to take some basic preparative measures.

I'm not talking about building a fortified bunker...just keeping at least 3-5 weeks of necessities on hand (6 months' worth if possible).

Every little measure will both increase one's own personal security and reduce the frenzy if something actually happens.

[northernlights]

6. exactly

Be prepared to be at home for a while, as after a severe hurricane or blizzard.

Note that it has already developed resistance to tamiflu.

[SkyDaddy7]

7. Just a few short months ago many here on DU...

Were making fun and complaining about the warnings of this new strain. I kept saying this could get nasty later on in the fall as the 1918 H1N1 did and was actually made fun of!

Replies like this to my comment that this could get bad later:

Oh yeah, this person claimed to public health epidemiologist with 30+ years of experience in the field (A claim I found hard to believe)



If we had ham, we could have ham and eggs. If we had eggs.
The same "what if" game can be played with every disease.

What if HIV became transmissable through the air?

What if we could get rabies by petting our dogs?

What if we could contract genital herpes by watching a Paris Hilton video?

See. It's fun to play make believe.

It's just not good public health policy or practice.

The one thing that the H1N1 epidemic (not) taught us is how easy it is to generate massive, world-wide hysteria in a 24/7 media world where the news-readers need something (anything) to read to keep the populations cowering in fear of .... something.
"It is the right of the people that they shall not be deprived of hope." Willie Stark, All the King's Men

[Grinchie]

8. Thats rich "Resistance to Tamiflu".. Hah Hah Hah!

Thats a good one, since Tamiflue is designed to shorten symptoms of the flu, and only if you take it before your get the flu.

Oooh, let's just pop Tamiflu everyday just in case we might get sick! I can see Rumsfeld rubbing his hands with glee right now.

Sorry if this post seems harsh, but I didn't see a sarcasm tag in your OP.

[Sigh Sister]

10. Actually it can be taken after you have the flu

but is only effective if you take it within 2 days of experiencing symptoms.


Tamiflu is used to treat flu symptoms caused by influenza virus in patients who have had symptoms for less than 2 days. Tamiflu may also be given to prevent influenza in people who may be exposed but do not yet have symptoms.

http://www.drugs.com/tamiflu.html

And there have been a few cases showing resistance to tamiflu. Here's one:

A patient with H1N1 influenza in Denmark showed resistance to Roche Holding AG's Tamiflu, the main antiviral flu drug, a company executive said on Monday.

"While receiving the drug, the patient appeared to develop resistance to it," David Reddy, Roche's pandemic taskforce leader, told reporters on a conference call on the Danish case. "This is the first report we have of it in H1N1."

http://www.reuters.com/article/internal_ReutersNewsRoom_ExclusivesAndWins_MOLT/idUSTRE55S3UF20090629

[Grinchie]

18. Se, they became resistent to the drug used claimed to reduce the symptoms of the Flu?

Then it must not be a very friendly drug, if the body goes out of it's way to resist it. Or perhaps cause damage in the 1 out of 100 people that they didn't find in their limited trials.

I have a better drug than Tamiflu. It's called complete nutrition. People should look into it, but I'm afraid what they find is that complete nutrition is not as straightforward as many are led to believe.

[Sigh Sister]

25. It's not that the body resists it

It's the virus that becomes resistant.

Public health authorities in Hong Kong announced Friday they have found a case of Tamiflu resistance in a woman who hadn't taken the drug. That means she was infected with swine flu viruses that were already resistant to Tamiflu, the main weapon in most countries' and companies' pandemic drug arsenals.

ttp://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jb6J6PJB7Burz1l0V3UoN6Q7mYOA

[arikara]

15. I can't figure out the hype over tamiflu anyhow

it only shortens the duration of the flu for less than a day if at all, and its linked to suicidal behaviour in kids. Not something anyone should clamor for, just filling Rummy's pockets when you take it.

[Grinchie]

19. Just like all the other Allopathic medicine

Treats the symptoms while your cells die off in massive numbers. You'll just feel a tad bit better while your insides putrify.

I would trust 12 drops of Food Grade H2O2 in a glass of distilled water more than a pharmaceutical like Tamiflu.

The history of Tamiflu, and the massive amounts of money it get from Government programs started by Shrub and Company just reek of insider collusion.

Call me old fashioned, but I don't want to feel better than I should if I am ill. I believe natural healing depends on clear signals from the body, and usualy it means some pain and discomfort. I also think that Chlorine Bleach should smell like Chlorine Bleach, and not like Lemons or a spring fresh forest. (Not to mention that you can't purify water with scented bleach)

It looks like the Democrats are cashing on on that Gravy Train as well.

[woodsprite]

4. A coworker and her 3yo son just came down with a swine flu variant

and they're having a difficult time getting the drug in the dosage appropriate for her 3yo.

[madrchsod]

5. ap must hire 8th grade english students to write this crap....

"whoopee we`re all go`n a die"!

[Grinchie]

9. They can have all mine.

For christ sakes., the Military is taking bids on who will grow GMO plants that synthesize H1N1 vaccine proteins, and nobody even bothered to comment regarding the fact that novel proteins from infulenza are now being engineered into plants.

Go ahead, live in fear. Your focus on Life Negative thinking forces you into a permanent state of control.

[kimmerspixelated]

11. Grinchie is right!

1976 Swine Flue Terra! Bird Flu Terra! 2009 Swine Flue Terra!

Folks, most cases are much milder than the regular flu. There's only 450-something worldwide deaths, while anyone dying is certainly not a good thing, this number should not inspire most thinking people to indulge in the very questionable safety of said vaccine. Isn't it the Baxter folks manufacturing this vaccine? Remember they had a little "accident", and certainly cannot be trusted to get it right.

Maybe vaccines aren't the answer to everything.

Try supporting your immune system, a lot of extra Vit D and C, Oil of Oregano, Garlic, the list goes on!

Emergency preparedness, go for it!

Sign a vaccine waiver to protect yourself against harm. Because guess what? Dubya signed a bill, a long time ago-that hasn't been reversed as far as I know, that absolutely lets these vax companies get a free ride if you are harmed or someone dies as a result. A LAW WAS PUT IN EFFECT TO PROTECT THE VAX CO!!! If that's not a red flag about a system gone amiss, what is??

[Grinchie]

20. Absolutely, although Corporate Immunity occurred many years ago.

This article pretty much covers it all. Please note the time, era, and political climate. Just after Nixon was impeached, Ford bumbling around trying to make a name for himself, Reagan already campaigning...

Now, the Corporations have bulletproof immunity. Even our poor troops are being maimed and disfigured by Immunizations, in many cases without knowing what they are being immunized with.

The recent Baxter Incident is horrifying. Baxter: Product contained live bird flu virus

In 2003 I learned that my coworker's child had recently been subjected to a battery of vaccinations, and her subsequently became Autistic. I got a chance to visit and observe the child, and believe me, to have a semi functional vegetable in the house is not pleasant. From a vibrant, active child, to a uncommunicative robot overnight is not a happy thing.

While I am older, and have had many vaccinations, I will not ever have anymore. First of all, after reading many books on the subject, I am not to convinced that they can filter out all the Chicken embryo where the vaccines are grown. I just took their word when I was a kid that it's vaccine, and not bits of chicken dna, or pig, or horse, or cow DNA.

Are there nasty diseases? You bet their are, but I'd rather be armed with the knowledge of how to prevent them in the first place, through a strong immune system, good nutrition, good hydration, good mental hygiene, good physical hygience, and reduced exposure.

If it comes down to it, I doubt if it will be worse that the week long food poisoning I contracted while in the military years ago from the ousourced mess hall. In that noter, this article is on the money.

http://www.shakopeenews.com/news/military/local_soldier_refuses_anthrax_vaccination-4134

[kimmerspixelated]

26. Exactly! Good defense!

We live in times of much better sanitation and nutrition, and hand-washing is key. I agree about the vaccines..they probably aren't near as safe as they used to be, if they ever were. I think bad vaxes with an extremely toxic environment add up to more fatalities, but yes, I can handle food poisoning like symptoms instead of permanent damage, anyday!!!

[arikara]

24. What does the military have to do with

flu vaccines?

Sweet Jesus.

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. Let's outsource some more!

[arikara]

16. Well they can have mine

because I won't be taking that toxic stew.

[WriteDown]

17. I think that's what FDR said abut the poliio vaccine....

:eyes:

[Grinchie]

21. You mean he spoke to you from the grave?

That figures.

[arikara]

23. Maybe he did take it...

snip...The symptoms of Roosevelt's illness, which first became apparent in 1921, more closely resembled those of Guillain-Barre, also known as acute ascending polyneuritis, a team at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston said.

It is believed to be an autoimmune disease -- one in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. It occurs after a mild infection, surgery or, rarely, after an immunization. ...snip

http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/10/31/roosevelt.polio.reut/


Polio was declining before they ever came out with the vaccine.




'Nearly all polio outbreaks since 1961 were caused by the oral polio vaccine,'
-Jonas Salk, inventor of the IPV, testifying before a Senate subcommittee

"Official data shows that large scale vaccination has failed to obtain any significant improvement of the diseases against which they were supposed to provide protection" - Dr. Sabin, developer of Polio vaccine.

[kimmerspixelated]

27. Excellent!

I read about the Polio vaccine during a lot of research about vaccines in general, and I was truly shocked. I'm sure most folks don't realize what the origins even were..agriculture and pesticides...
Your quotes by Salk should be front and center on the vax debate!!

[hedgehog]

32. I don't believe there was a flu vaccine available in 1921.

Roosevelt was struck down by the influenza in 1918:

F.D. ROOSEVELT SPANISH GRIP VICTIM; Assistant Secretary of the Navy Stricken with Influenza on Shipboard. TAKEN TO MOTHER'S HOME City Authorities Move to Combat Outbreak of Disease--Less Severe in Army Camps.

*
Sep 20, 1918, Friday

Page 14, 1693 words

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, who has been abroad for two months, arrived in New York yesterday and was taken to the home of his mother, Mrs. James Roosevelt, 47 East Sixty-fifth Street, suffering from a slight attack of pneumonia caused by Spanish influenza which he contracted on the ship, Mrs. Roosevelt said last night ...

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A03E1DA1531E433A25753C2A96F9C946996D6CF



It's possible that his paralysis had something to do with the influenza. Oliver Sachs connected a Parkinsonian disorder associated with post influenza encephalitis. (Awakenings). Given the time frame, I think polio was the more likely diagnosis. The fact that Roosevelt was in the upper age range of polio victims may explain some of the unusual features of his case. It's also possible that those may have been a result of whatever treatments were attempted.

[dipsydoodle]

28. The problem if a really deadly pandemic broke out

would be the cessation of all commercial air traffic due to locked borders. Drugs could not be moved at that point.

[marketcrazy1]

30. LOL!!

like they ( the government ) would ban flights carrying urgently needed drugs?? WTF! give me some of what you`re smokin!!!

[dipsydoodle]

33. Try moving anything by air

with air traffic control shut down across Europe - most of the drugs are being manufactured over here. Only recourse might be military air bases but the drugs would still need to reach them in the firt place.

[Earth_First]

29. Here's three more from this family that aren't wanted... n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

31. Strange - only yesterday there was an article about producing flu vaccine in England

Novartis Speke ‘flu factory involved in H1N1 production

WORK on producing a vaccine for H1N1 swine flu has started at the Novartis factory in Speke.

The Swiss-based drugs giant revealed in its first half results today that all its European sites have started producing a product using traditional egg-based manufacturing, as at Speke, and the faster cell-based product.

First batches have already been produced and clinical trials start this month.

The drugs giant revealed that the US government has already awarded two contracts worth £597m for its H1N1 vaccine and contracts have also been received from other countries.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/business-news/2009/07/16/novartis-speke-flu-factory-involved-in-h1n1-production-100252-24168383/

This is the factory that was shut down in 2004 (due to contamination) that produced seasonal flu vaccine, if people remember that - owned by Chiron at the time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3717726.stm

On edit: What seems to be going on is that the UK has ordered its vaccine from central European factories (that are UK and US owned), while the UK production in Liverpool (from a Swiss owned company) is going to the US.

[dipsydoodle]

34. Maybe

they get the shit and we get the good stuff. :shrug:

Would at least be retribution, long time coming, for the flawed polio vaccine scam carrying SV all those years ago.