German study finds xmrv

Hi lululowry

Agreed, especially if the link extends to many cases of autism, and if by studying xmrv+ patients with autism somebody is finally able to prove the hypothesised autism-vaccine link. However, they will then do a risk asssessment. They will have to decide if the profit to be made, ongoing, is better than the cost they incur. It might be.

Two complicating factors are here. The first is that xmrv might determine risk if being vaccinated, so we will finally have a diagnostic test to determine those who respond badly to vaccines - and these people will need very expensive drugs. So they lose the vaccine profit, gain money on a universal diagnostic test (look for Big Pharma to buy the rights), and then make money by selling much more profitable treatments than vaccines could ever be.

The second, is that they can easily claim no prior knowledge of risk, and so may not be liable for past problems. On the other hand, if they cover up research then the future class action lawsuit could seriuosly damage their bottom line, particularly a world wide class action of many millions of people each claiming hundreds of thousands to millions in damages, not to mention potential criminal charges. The damage to Big Pharma's reputation if they are eventually caught will also have to factor in.

I think it more likely that the risk is such that most companies will not stay the party line and will indeed support xmrv research and treatment. There is probably much more money to be made this way, but we would need forensic accountants with access to their books, etc, to be sure. There is also much less risk.

By this analysis, Big Pharma A might be limited in scope, probably only those companies who don't have a drug for treating xmrv, and Big Pharma B will be all the rest.

Bye
Alex

http://www.hhs.gov/advcomcfs/meetings/presentations/cfsac_testimony_5_10_2010_anonymous_1.pdf

what alex said.

if xmrv is proven causative in neuroimmune diseases and IF vaccines are EVER proven to reactivate it and trigger those diseases, pharma will still be protected from lawsuits.

in the US even when vaccine damage is proven beyond doubt it is not pharma who is sued and pays up, it is actually the taxpayer!!! (this is thanks to vaccine indemnity act having been passed few years ago as an addendum to Homeland Security Act - how very clever, you must give them that!)

Pharma can only sued if it can be proven to have omitted all KNOWN neccassary steps to make product as safe as possible, according to their knowlege. So in this case they would not pay anything in retrospect related to xmrv contamination or reactivation, ever. For anything else, it is ordinary citizens who pay the price for vaccine injury, if it can be proven (there have been numerous such awards in the past few decades, as long as autism is not mentioned in the lawsuit at vaccine court).

So no risk to pharma at all in terms of compensations ....

yes they would lose some future revenue through fall in vaccination uptake if joe public gets scared, but then again they are smart and control the media, so will find a way around it...

it would seem to me that XMRV associated neuroimmune disorders (XAND) are tentatively, a matter of national security

Whoa!! What a way to put it!!

There was also the National Childhood Vaccine Act that protects Pharma companies. Under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 there was a National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) established (not good at links but the path is @http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/). The government website states that it is to ensure supplies and costs of vaccines. This is a "no-fault" program and the US Court of Federal Claims determines who will be paid. There is a list the vaccines and what symptoms you need to have in order to file, e.g. death, seizures that require hospitalization, etc. (Of course you would have to prove the causation…)

The study has been published: http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/16/6/1000.htm

Apologies if already posted.

Was this posted? Vincent Racaniello blog http://www.virology.ws/2010/05/19/xmrv-in-human-respiratory-tract/
Near the end there is a link- this table-which shows viral loads of body fluids (I think for HIV, couldn't be all viruses?). Spinal fluid, blood, semen then ear secretions. Does anyone know anything about ear secretions?

I interpreted the german abstract to mean that they tried to grow virus from respiratory secretions and could not. So NOT communicable, though they would like someone to try with fresher samples.

Medicine spends such huge amounts per patient for transplants I think this would have great interest for surgeons. Why would they want to mess up their work with xmrv transfusions?