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Related Topics Proof, Experts Sanctioning Drugs and Vaccines Work Hand in Hand with 'Big Pharma'
by Christina England http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1866/proof-experts-sanctioning-drugs-and-vaccines-work
How can we trust our governments to look after the health of our children, when research proves that the experts appointed to sanction drugs and vaccines work hand in hand with the very drug companies that manufacturer them? It is well known that our governments foster close alliances with the pharmaceutical industry but just how close has remained a closely guarded secret. Last week however, this all changed, after The Times announced that new telephone hotlines directly linking the pharmaceutical industries and other leading companies to government ministers are being set up. The hotlines will enable bosses of companies such as BP, Shell, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline to be able to telephone Whitehall departments directly in new individually tailored relationships with senior ministers who will act as their "buddies". According to 'The Times' this 'best buddy system' will work in the following way: Ministers will be paired up with companies they already have existing relationships with. The following ministers will be paired up in the following manor: 'Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, will act as what officials are calling "an account director" to Britain's oil and gas giants Shell, BP and BG. David Willetts, the Universities and Science Minister, will be the contact for the life science companies GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Astro Zeneca. General Electric will be paired with Lord Green. Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, will deal with information and communication technology companies. Mark Prisk, the Business and Enterprise Minister, will deal with automotive companies active in the UK, including Jaguar Land Rover owned by Tata, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, General Motors and BMW, as well as aerospace companies. Lord Sassoon, the former investment banker who is Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, will also play a role.' All very cozy don't you agree? Next it will be sleepovers and pajama parties! In my opinion this is proof that direct conflicts of interest exist between the UK government and the pharmaceutical industry and have existed for quite a while. You can read the first half of the article' Yes Minister: Business Chiefs Get 'Buddy Hotline' here The first time I became aware of conflicts of interest existing, was when Lisa Blakemore-Brown brought to my attention that Professor Roy Meadow had attended meetings as a member of the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) in the 1980's. The JCVI is a Standing Advisory Committee with statutory responsibilities to advise Ministers on vaccines and vaccine policies. Papers released under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that Professor Roy Meadow sat on various meetings as a member of the JCVI discussing whether vaccines were responsible for the rise in the number of babies dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The documents indicated that Prof Meadow was fully aware of the harmful affects that vaccines can have on children when he gave evidence as an Expert Witness in MSBP cases where babies had died very shortly after vaccine. Despite knowing these facts however, he continued to state that vaccines 'could not' have attributed to these children's death. Read the documents in full on the website Profitable Harm As it turns out Professor Meadow is not the only member of the JCVI with conflicts of interest. Lisa Blakemore-Brown wrote about others in her comment published in'The Times' on 20th July 2007 these include Professor Elizabeth Miller epidemiologist for the vaccine programme and Dr David Salisbury, with a similar remit. If we read through the this JVCI document from 21st June 2006 carefully we can see several other members of the JCVI declaring certain ties and interests ascertaining to the pharmaceutical industry. Despite declaring these interests however, they are allowed to carry on taking part in the meeting regardless. This hardly makes them independent now does it? Lucy Johnston journalist for the Sunday Express has also revealed evidence of committee members having financial ties to the pharmaceutical industries in her article Jab Makers Linked to Vaccine Programme She wrote: Inquiries by the Sunday Express have revealed that at least two members – received grants or travel fees from Wyeth and Merk, two vaccine manufacturers. Another carries out research funded by Sanofi Pasteur, while several have paid consultancy posts from pharmaceutical companies such as Merk, GlaxoSmithKline, Roche and Novartis. In an article entitled The pharmaceutical industry as a political player written by John Abraham he explains that many of the scientists used to regulate and control vaccine and drug policies have previously worked for the pharmaceutical industries: Pharmaceutical firms have well-oiled lobbying strategies to capture regulatory agencies: more subtlely, industry can penetrate into the heart of regulatory political subculture via the so-called revolving door—ie, regulatory officials begin their careers in industry, then work for some years in the regulatory agency until they are promoted back into industry at a higher level than they were at previously. In the UK, a large proportion of scientists in the British drug regulatory authority started their careers in industry, and many move back there. If he is right then scientists may be using this method as a way of gaining early promotion. The UK government is not alone in being 'pals' with the pharmaceutical industry. The USA government has also been more than a little friendly. I have found that many of America's leading government figures have massive conflicts of interest that they have kept very quiet about. I will begin with Governor Rick Perry as he has been in the news recently for trying to mandate the HPV Gardasil in the state of Texas. At first one may be fooled into believing that Perry tried to mandate a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer out of genuine concern for the health of the young women of America, that is until we delve a little deeper and find out why. According to a report by the Political Hot Sheet an ad created by a political action committee supporting Michele Bachmann, has knocked Perry for his ties to people affiliated with the drug's manufacturer, Merck, including Perry's wife, Anita. They say: According to a 2000 article in the Austin Chronicle, Anita Perry worked with Merck to launch a public education campaign for osteoporosis screenings. Last week I wrote an article entitled The Poison Dart They Call Gardasl. I wrote that SANE Vax Inc. had recently sent a certified letter to the FDA Commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg. The letter contained some very disturbing and appalling information and requested the FDA to investigate immediately the extent of the HPV DNA contamination found in the Gardasil HPV4 vaccine that is currently on the market and take appropriate actions to ensure public safety regarding future shipments. This was after the HPV vaccine Gardasil was found to be contaminated with HPV DNA. It is highly unlikely Hamburg will act on this news however, because it appears that she also is very well connected with Merck. In July 2011 Medical Marketing Media announced that Hamburg had decided to give Dr. Stephen Spielberg, MD, PhD former Merck and Johnson & Johnson scientist the new post of deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco as part of a sweeping reorganization of the agency's management structure. I cannot help wondering if Dr Spielberg is an old friend because when Hamburg took on the position of FDA's Commissioner she and her husband Peter Fitzhugh Brown had to divest investment earnings making the couple around $10 million in 2008. These earnings came mostly from her husband's hedge-fund job with Renaissance Technologies where he is an expert in artificial intelligence, shares in Johnson & Johnson, stock in Abbott Laboratories, Merck and pharmacy manager Medco Health Solutions. According to the Wall Street Journal she needed to divest stock and options from Henry Schein, which distributed dental and medical supplies, including vaccines. The Wall Street Journal says: She will forfeit $100,000 to $250,000 in restricted stock and more than 11,000 unvested stock options, all of which have a strike price above market value. She will also have to sell vested stock, valued between $250,000 and $500,000. It appears however, that Hamburg must have got bored with her mega $150,000 a year lifestyle because she has suggested that the FDA next year should loosen certain 'conflicts of interest' restrictions preventing scientists who have financial ties to the drug industry from becoming members of FDA advisory panels. If this happens not only can she boost her earnings once again but it could also mean that many more of Merck's ex- employees could also join the FDA panel. Strangely enough Hamburg is not the only member of the FDA and the CDC with massive ties to the pharmaceutical industry. A congressional report has shown that several panel members of the FDA and the CDC, the two influential advisory committees who make the recommendations on vaccine policy, either have financial ties to vaccine manufacturers or hold patents on vaccines under development. In 2005 a press release from the Center For Science identified that a total of 17 FDA panel members had either received research support or had financial ties with Merck. Interestingly these facts were borne out further, when vaccine insider Dr Paul Offit from the Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP) and member of the CDC advisory committee disclosed that he received a $350,000 grant from Merck to develop the rotavirus vaccine, which he developed alongside Merck. He now shares the patent for Merck's anti diarrhoea vaccine Rotateq. The Wall Street Journal has stated that Dr Offit is in fact paid to go around the country teaching doctors that vaccines are safe. Lawmakers sever ties between CDC and Big Pharma CBS News have also has been speaking out on just what Dr Offit has been up to. They have told viewers that Dr Paul Offitt is probably the most widely known defender of vaccine safety. CBS say that Offitt also belongs to the American Academy of Paediatrics, which according to them receives millions of dollars from the vaccine industry for conferences, grants, and medical education classes. Amazingly, it was finance from the vaccine industry that helped the academy build their headquarters. The CBS state that in fact Offit holds a $1.5 million research chair at the children's hospital completely funded by Merck CBS News also told viewers that Merck actually contributed $433,000 to the academy the same year that the academy endorsed Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil! Offit of course backs the Gardasil vaccine to the hilt saying that the results of the CDC research was really reassuring adding: "There's a public perception that the vaccine is not safe. This is important for countering negative information." Washington Post If this is not bad enough the list of USA government conflicts of interest just grow and grow. Bill Gates has been found to have very strong links with Merck. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Merck & Co., Inc. and the Republic of Botswana recently announced the establishment of the Botswana Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnership. This is a new initiative to improve the overall state of HIV/AIDS care and treatment in Botswana. CSR Wire Many believe that Gates plans to do this by introducing a mandatory HIV/AIDA vaccine. My research has found that even President Barack Obama's has strong alliances to big pharma. It has been published that his choice for U.S. Surgeon General is CNN journalist Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a pro-vaccine pusher with ties to Merck. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a strong proponent of the Gardasil HPV vaccine, and the television show he once hosted ("Accent Health") was primarily sponsored by Merck, makers of Gardasil. See Natural News for details. In fact Obama's ties go on and on because his nominee at the Department of Homeland Security overseeing bioterrorism defense has served as a key adviser for a lobbying group funded by the pharmaceutical industry that has asked the government to spend more money for anthrax vaccines and biodefense research. I am sure that they will oblige especially when yet another vaccine is on the horizon. Washington Post Conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical industry have been found around the world. Indian experts have been found to also have strong conflicts of interest. In April 2010 I revealed these when I wrote the article Are panel chosen to investigate Gardasil in India fit for purpose? I wrote about a press release released by the organization the TruthAboutGardasil which said: "North Hollywood, CA. Members of TruthAboutGardasil.org and women around the world are disappointed with the panel of investigators selected to examine alleged violations of guidelines for conducting 'clinical trials', inadequate research, false advertising, along with various moral and ethical concerns in connection with a recent health 'demonstration project' involving HPV vaccines amongst disadvantaged women in India. With apparent disregard for the women and organizations that brought these injustices to the attention of the world, the government of India has chosen S. P., Agarwal former Director-General of Health Services; Sunita Mittal, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences; and Pharmacologist, Ranjit Roy to serve as the primary investigators. Now the world is wondering if these three men; a retired government official, a practicing physician and a practicing pharmacist are capable – or willing – to impartially review their peers and/or supervisors conduct and the trial reports without bias." 'Capable', is possible, 'willing', is doubtful and to be 'impartial', now that is the one that is really questionable especially as one of the panel of investigators appears to have a secret that he just conveniently forgot to mention. The secret, well you guessed it, he is connected to the manufacturer of the Gardasil vaccine Merck. On the front page of the The Hindu on the 14th April 2010 in a letter to Azad it read: Another issue which unfortunately has not been addressed in your letter is the conflict of interest involved in the PATH project. This NGO is a partner of the manufacturing company MERCK in other projects. As a partner, it can be easily understood that the conflict arises from the interests of the subjects of the project, in this case children, on the one hand, and the vaccine manufacturer, on the other. If there is not to be a cover-up of what appears prima facie to be a case of connivance with a vaccine manufacturing company in violation of set guidelines, I would once again request you to kindly look into the aspect of the inquiry, both in its terms of reference and in its composition. If 'The Hindu's' research is correct and this is so, he can hardly be impartial now can he?" Currently the USA recommends 68 mandated vaccines from birth to 18yrs. These are vaccines recommended by the USA government for all American children. If a child has not had the recommended vaccines they face being refused entry to kindergarten and school. Yet despite the highest intake of antibiotics and vaccines of any group of children in history, American children are far from healthy. It strikes me that as our children get sicker 'big pharma' get richer. They do this with the full assistance from our governments. This of course suits big pharma because there is no profit in healthy children is there? Dr Tim O'Shea asked a very important question is his book 'Vaccination is not Immunization', he asked – "If those in power in this country (USA) were faced with a choice between the health of our children and $50 billion dollars which would they choose?" I will let you to decide the answer. Related Topics: Op-Ed and Editorial receive the latest by email: subscribe to weekly blitz's free mailing list Comment on this item |
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