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YOUR LETTERS TO THE
WALL STREET JOURNAL:
Dear
Editor:
Regarding your editorial entitled "Where's My Flu Shot"
in the December 10, 2003 edition of the Wall Street
Journal, you are incorrect in placing blame on selected
political leaders and trial lawyers for the apparent
shortage of flu vaccine. In seizing an opportunity to
criticize parties that you historically dislike for
ideological reasons, you have ignored the facts
surrounding the true cause of the current shortage.
Blame for any current shortage of flu vaccines should be
placed on our public health officials and the vaccine
manufacturers. As reported by Lawrence Altman in the
December 10, 2003 edition of the New York Times, the
shortage of vaccines is not the result of lack of
capacity on the part of vaccine makers. Over the past
several several years there was excess production of
vaccines and many doses were discarded because they were
unused. The Times article states, "Flu vaccines in this
country are made entirely by private companies, and in
the past producers have had to discard tens of millions
of doses when most of the people eligible to receive it
did not heed advice from doctors and health officials to
be immunized." The head of the CDC, Dr. Julie Gerberding
told the NY Times, "For the last five years, we have
thrown a lot of flu vaccine away. Last year, [Dr.
Gerberding said], the two companies that manufacture
vaccine for this country, Aventis Pasteur and Chiron,
made 95 million doses but discarded 12 million because
of low demand. So they reduced production to 83 million
for this season."
As reported by Richard Perez-Pena in the December 11,
2003 New York Times ("Increase in Demand for Flu
Vaccine") health care professionals say it is the
publicity campaign to increase vaccination waged by
public health officials that has increased demand. As
reported in the Times, "Doctors say parents are
responding to the publicity given to predictions of a
bad flu season, and to the American Academy of
Pediatrics' new guidelines urging vaccination of all
children." In the New York region there is no report of
a shortage of the injectable vaccine and the nasal mist
vaccine is widely available, according to the Times
report.
It is worth noting that it is broadly accepted that the
current flu vaccine protects against the wrong Flu
strain and provides questionable protection to the
Fujian flu strain that is implicated in the known cases
of flu that have occurred.
The apparent shortage of flu vaccine, therefore, has
absolutely nothing to do with the Homeland Security bill
and the principled opposition to it exercised by some
Senators. There is absolutely no evidence to support the
claim that somehow trial lawyers are responsible for the
shortage, as your editorial suggests.
The only real reason for the apparent shortage of the
flu vaccine is inept planning by public health officials
and vaccine manufacturers.
Very truly yours,
Robert J. Krakow
Attorney At Law
225 Broadway, Suite 2700
New York, New York 10007
(212) 227-0600
(646) 349-1771 (fax)
Sir,
As a subscriber to your journal I was, quite frankly,
amazed to read such a misleading article. Fact and
objectivity appeared to be on vacation. Perhaps the
anonymous author had joined them at the beach.
I sincerely hope that this criteria of reporting does
not represent your general editing policy as it calls
into question the veracity of every article published in
your name.
Sincerely,
Heather Adams
Dover, MA
Dear WSJ Editors:
What is up with this anonymous letter depicting some
senators as heroes and others as losers because of the
lack of flu vaccines??
The ONLY reason there is a shortage this year is due to
you and your fellow media kind. You have whipped up a
frenzy with your scary headlines depicting the flu like
some type of terrorist action. Many of us will get
colds and flu like symptoms but that does not mean we
are going to die.
The vaccine manufactures have stated that this year's
shot does not even match this year's flu strain. Their
"theory" is that it will do the same job or lesson the
severity of the symptoms. This is a theory - not proven
science. The CDC has known for years that every 2 to 3
decades, the flu upgrades in strength and then recedes
again.
Why on earth would the WSJ allow some anonymous coward
turn this year's flu season into political folly? If
there was good money in selling flu shots - you better
believe these vaccine manufactures would have risen to
the occasion. Come on WSJ - it is supply and demand!
They did not sell many flu shots last year. Watch how
many are available next year!
Kim Dabney
Charlotte, NC
The anonymous letter "Where's My Flu
Vaccine" (Dec. 9, 2003) was quite sickening. Shame on
the senators who are standing up for the millions of
kids who were injured by mercury preserved vaccines. The
media is up in arms about the lack of government
warnings for fish contaminated with mercury but feel its
safe to inject infants with a higher dose of a more
toxic type of mercury? The unnamed writer states that
there are only five vaccine makers left. Heck, Glaxo-Smith
and Kline used to be more than five companies (Smith
Kline Beecham Glaxo Welcome, etc. etc.) Vaccines are the
drug companies fastest growing business. Sales are
expected to top 10 billion dollars next year. As for the
flu vaccine, it still contains mercury and doesn't even
work.
Michael Wagnitz
Chemist, Trace Metals Specialist, Medical Toxicology
Dear Sirs,
Recently the Wall Street Journal published an
irresponsible and extremely misleading editorial
entitled "Where's My Flu Shot". You didn't ascribe it
to any author, so the implication is that this editorial
represents the opinion of the Journal itself. This casts
a dark shadow on the credibility of the Wall Street
Journal.
The quality of the work in this editorial is extremely
disappointing. It is so far from reality, and so close
to the party line of the Pharma PR spin machine that it
appears that nobody employed at the Journal even wrote
this piece, nor apparently did anyone check the facts
represented in it.
Normally the Journal checks its facts - as far as we
know - so either you know that the information in this
editorial is wrong, or you simply gave the editorial
keys to a PR operative from Pharma. You know full well
that the discrepancy between the current demand for flu
vaccines, which is higher than in recent years, and the
availability, has absolutely nothing to do with
manufacturer liability for past practices of putting
large
amounts of a mercury-based preservative in infant
vaccines, something that is known to be dangerous and
which has never been shown to be safe. Perhaps the
manufacturers just can stand to take responsibility for
their own actions?
All Americans should be proud of the Republican and
Democratic senators and thousands of ordinary Americans
who stood up for the poor voiceless children when they
successfully demanded the removal of the
special-interest thimerosal indemnification clause that
was inserted at the last minute into the completely
unrelated Homeland Security bill last year. The
editorial's efforts to paint these heros as dupes of
trial lawyers is insulting and utterly wrong. Americans
of all backgrounds and professions know right from
wrong, and what Frist and Armey did with the Homeland
Security bill was wrong.
If Senator Frist were so concerned about resolving
issues of tort reform, vaccine availability and vaccine
safety, he might have followed through on his commitment
to revise the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Act -
but he didn't. He and Senator Gregg backed out of the
agreed bill compromise and the mark-up meeting at the
last minute, apparently at the direct behest of vaccine
industry lobbyists.
Any sensible reader cannot help but wonder - What have
they done that is so horrible that they are so afraid,
and they have to resort to such desperate PR
spin-mastering?
Alexander MacInnis
Los Altos, California
Dear Editor,
The Wall Street Journal’s allegiance to the
pharmaceutical industry is alive and well judging by the
December 9 “Where’s My Shot?”editorial. In bringing up
the Homeland Security Act's last-minute provisions, you
neglect to mention that Eli Lilly in particular was
named to receive protection from lawsuits involving the
mercury-based preservative thimerosal. While Eli Lilly
is the original manufacturer of thimerosal, the company
has not produced a vaccine for humans since the
mid-1970’s. Protecting Lilly from litigation for
thimerosal-related damages therefore in no way affects
vaccine production. It does, however, affect the
hundreds of thousands of American families who have been
devastated by mercury poisoning through thimerosal use
in vaccines.
There are fewer vaccine manufacturers today because of
mergers, not fear of liability, according to recent
studies by both the HHS and GPO. If manufacturing
capabilities were truly diminished, we would likely not
have around 500 new vaccines currently in late stage
development, compared to 50 in 1980.
The eleventh-hour insertion of the Lilly bail-out clause
into this legislation had nothing to do with protecting
the homeland and everything to do with protecting
corporate interests at the expense of our most
vulnerable citizens.
Rita Shreffler
National Autism Association
To Our Anonymous Foe,
The last time I saw an anonymous person involved in
vaccine issues was in last years Homeland Security Bill.
Tom Paine called the mysterious Stranger "The Eli Lilly
Bandit." This Stranger inserted the provision that would
have allowed Eli Lilly to take no responsibility for
mercury-induced (thimerosal) neurological disorders.
Many in Congress, including Dr. Frist used scare
tactics/fear to keep this provision so our citizens
would think they were safe in case of terrorist attacks.
It didn't work then and it won't work now. Sorry Mr.
Frist, I mean Dr. Bandit, oops I meant Sen. Stranger.
Well, you know what I mean. Americans are not going to
take these fake claims anymore. The flu vaccine ran out
because the commercials were so darn good....kind of
like Barbie as Rapunzel at Toys R US this holiday
season. Instead of blaming elected officials who are
honest and are trying to help those injured by a toxic
chemical you should take a vacation, Dr. Bandit. Maybe
then you could think of next years advertising blitz. I
hear there's lots of small pox vaccine.
Sincerely, Teresa Conrick
Chicago, IL
Dear Editor,
Regarding the editorial entitled "Where's My Flu Shot"
in the December 10, 2003 edition of the Wall Street
Journal. Not mentioned were: How many of the recent Flu
deaths and life-long injuries involve victims previously
vaccinated for the Flu. Nor the epidemic numbers of
Americans presently suffering with life-long vaccine
injury without compensation. This subject is certainly
worth debating but not with anonymous, fallacious
interpretations that in reality scream of clear
conflicting personal financial interest.
The financial interest of the Nation is at stake;
multitudes of vulnerable American lives are at stake.
The only Flu vaccine available is the random dispensing
and use of live virus in FluMist. If there is no solid
evidence that FluMist vaccine is protective against the
Fujian Flu strain it is blatant fraudulent deception to
lead the Nation to believe FluMist may protect them. 4
to 5 million doses of FluMist's live virus are randomly
being self administered and shed for a minimum of 21
days each, of coarse Authorities are expecting the worst
Flu fall out in years. Physicians, Nurses and
Facilities... would be contaminated if they administered
FluMist therefore FluMist can potentially be sprayed
where ever any [trouble seeker] may choose.
Sincerely,
Lisa Adams
Zanesville, OH
To The Editor:
your name is Miles your have oddtism 11 years old shots
to be safe thank you with the senters help you
miles
The above "letter" was written by my son Miles who has
autism.
In a recent editorial, someone at the Wall Street
Journal tried to equate the current shortage of the flu
vaccine to a rider inserted into the Homeland Security
bill last year; while this may contribute to sensational
journalism it is, quiet frankly, misleading and has no
basis in factual content.
The fact of the matter is, that while the ELIMINATION of
the rider does not prove any pharmaceutical company
culpable of any wrongdoing, (contrary to assertions made
by the author of the editorial) the INSERTION of the
rider denied many citizens the right to pursue
compensation for injuries via the court system.
Furthermore, pharmaceutical companies base their
business decisions on supply and demand, just like any
other industry. Last year, millions of doses of flu
vaccine were discarded due to a lack of demand; as a
result, a smaller supply would be a reasonable and
logical sequence in this year's production.
In conclusion, the current vaccine shortage can be
attributed to one source -- vaccine manufacturers and
their bottom line.
Kelli Ann Davis
on behalf of Miles Davis
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