Experimental vaccine may have killed
The first rule of medicine is "do no harm." The first rule of public
relations is "do no harm to kids." Apparently, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is
running
afoul of both of these mantras with its latest experimental vaccine,
Synflorixm.
GSK is running a clinical trial in many countries, including Argentina, for
Synflorixm, which is intended to fight pneumonia, ear problems and other
pneumococcal infections.
Argentine authorities are now investigating whether the deaths of 14
children can be linked to their participation in the trial. So far, more than
19,000
babies have received at least one dose of Synflorix in the experimental
trials.
Authorities also have received complaints about patient recruitment. They're
worried that parents don't really understand that they're signing up their
children to be part of an experiment. There's an independent board monitoring
the vaccine trial, and it authorized the temporary suspension of the Latin
American trials in June. Of course, it then reversed itself and allowed the
trials to resume – which makes you wonder how "independent" they really are.
Remember my rule on new vaccines — and any new drug: It's best to avoid them
for seven years. This gives time for patterns to emerge that indicate nasty
side effects. You don't want to be the victim of experimentation gone awry.
The drug companies have one thing in mind at all times, and that's creating
the next blockbuster drug or vaccine that's going to bring them a windfall
(preferably as quickly as possible).
One of the last things they worry about is the consequence of a vaccine
unleashed on the market well before it has stood the test of time.
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