{Disarmed} Re: article: local trio gets honor for vaccine ...

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This article and the award fall under the umbrella of a marketing campaign. It is an internal award with a marketing press release...a method in which to commericalize their product. The "Gold Medal" is awarded by the Sabin Vaccine Institute funded by Bill and Melinda Gates and the Chiron Corporation (manufactures of the flu vaccine). http://tinyurl.com/fgudt

com‧mer‧cial‧ize  –verb (used with object), -ized, -iz‧ing.

1.

to make commercial in character, methods, or spirit.

2.

to emphasize the profitable aspects of, esp. at the expense of quality.

3.

to offer for sale; make available as a commodity.

http://www.sabin.org/awards_gold.htm

http://www.sabin.org/vaccinesafety.htm

http://www.rotavirusvaccine.org/Rota_newsletter_Aug2006.html

http://tinyurl.com/hwd45

http://www.ecbt.org/gates.html

http://chiron.com/investors/pressreleases/2005/051130.pdf

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/1/23 The New England Journal of Medicine January 2006 Safety and Efficacy of a Pentavalent Human–Bovine (WC3) Reassortant Rotavirus Vaccine. Drs. and Offit report being coholders of the patent on RotaTeq. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Note not one mention of the earlier version that was yanked off the shelves for causing intussuception and deaths.

http://tinyurl.com/nfdyn conflict of interest

-----Original Message-----From: EOHarm [mailto:EOHarm ]On Behalf Of McDonoughSent: Monday, September 11, 2006 4:54 PMEOHarm Subject: {Disarmed} Re: article: local trio gets honor for vaccine ...

Offit getting an award for his Rotavirus vaccine makes me want to vomit. (Pun intended)> >> > Note one of the "honorees" -- none other than Dr. Offit - the > Merck > > pro-vaccine mouthpiece ....> > > > Local trio gets honor for vaccine> > Children's Hospital to bestow its Gold Medal.> > > > By Dawn Fallik> > Philadelhpia Inquirer Staff Writer> > > > Erb was sick, and it wasn't a pretty sight. The 4-year-old > was > > diagnosed with rotavirus and she was the sickest her mother had > ever > > seen her.> > > > "It wasn't just horrible to see your child vomiting, it was also > > traumatizing for her," said Erb, who lives in > > Roxborough.> > > > Each year, rotavirus affects millions of children worldwide, > sending > > more than 200,000 to emergency rooms nationwide. The fatality rate > > in the United States is low - about 60 deaths annually - but up to > > 600,000 children worldwide die from the malnutrition and > dehydration > > that come after days of vomiting and diarrhea.> > > > In February, a vaccine came on the market that helps prevent > > children like from getting sick. Developed by three > > Philadelphia scientists, RotaTeq, a three-dose vaccine children > can > > take by mouth starting at 2 months, is just reaching doctor's > > offices. The scientists will be honored tomorrow with the > Children's > > Hospital of Philadelphia's "Gold Medal."> > > > "So far, only a couple of parents seem to be aware of it," said > > Barbara Cohen, a pediatrician at Temple University Pediatrics at > > Henry Avenue who strongly recommends the vaccine.> > > > "It's very effective, it prevents severe rotavirus 95 percent of > the > > time."> > > > Parents are encouraged to keep children with rotavirus hydrated. > > Hospital treatments usually include IV fluids to prevent dangerous > > dehydration.> > > > Although RotaTeq has been on the market for seven months, it took > > three decades to develop. It was halted in the early 1990s when > the > > supporting pharmaceutical company stopped paying for the research. > > It was challenged when another rotavirus vaccine caused a rare > bowel > > obstruction. That meant the FDA required a clinical trial > involving > > more than 60,000 children to make sure RotaTeq was safe.> > > > Now, with more than a million doses sold across the United States, > > the three researchers - H. Fred , A. Offit and Stanley > A. > > Plotkin, from the Wistar Institute and Children's Hospital of > > Philadelphia - can relax.> > > > "I had a call from one of my former students who is now working in > a > > hospital in Virginia, and he said he was making sure that every > baby > > got the vaccine," said. "It was a moment to remember."> > > > When the three started working on the vaccine, Plotkin was chief > of > > infectious diseases at Children's Hospital and was already > credited > > with the rubella vaccine. Offit was 29, and a fellow working under > > . Now 55, he's chief of infectious diseases at Children's > > Hospital. All three own the patent for the vaccine.> > > > The vaccine is based on a weakened form of a bovine virus. It is > > given by mouth in three doses. The first dose must be given before > > the child is 12 weeks old. The rest is given in two stages by the > > age of 32 weeks.> > > > "It's very exciting that we can now prevent what hurts kids or > what > > keeps kids feeling poorly and what sends kids to the hospitals," > > said Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for > Immunization > > and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and > > Prevention.> > > > There is one more obstacle: Merck & Co. must complete trials in > > third-world countries to make sure children there react as well to > > the medicine.> > > > "It was always the intention that the vaccine be able to be used > > everywhere," Offit said.> > > > GlaxoKline PLC also has a rotavirus vaccine that is approved > > for use in several countries outside the United States.> > > > Parents in the United States are just hearing about RotaTeq. Some > > are unsure whether it's worth adding yet another vaccine to the > more > > than a dozen that children typically receive before age 5.> > > > But Offit pointed out that rotavirus was one of the top diseases > > that land children in the emergency room, and pediatricians say > they > > have no concern about recommending it to parents.> > > > The vaccine is costly - about $168 for the complete series. > > Insurance does cover it, and some state programs with all-> inclusive > > child health programs already offer it. Doctors say that compared > > with the $300 million in direct medical costs associated with the > > disease each year, it's worth the price.> > > > "I work at a pediatric hospital with 100 beds and over the course > of > > a year, we'll see at least 100 to 200 rotavirus infections," said > > Penelope , director of the pediatric infectious-disease > > program at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, R.I.> > > > Offit said he was now done with the world of rotavirus, > although "it > > never really feels like it's over." Now he's focused on the > Vaccine > > Education Center at Children's Hospital, an international program > > aimed at educating parents and health-care professionals about > > vaccines and vaccine safety.> > > > But he hears plenty of success stories about his vaccine.> > > > "My wife's a pediatrician," he said. "She gives it out."> > > > Rotavirus Gets Raves> > > > The three scientists involved in the development of the rotavirus > > vaccine will be honored tomorrow with the Children's Hospital of > > Philadelphia's "Gold Medal."> > > > The medal, awarded to those who have enhanced the welfare of > > children through major contributions, was last given in 1983 for > the > > development for the mumps and flu vaccines.> > > > The trio developed a vaccine to prevent rotavirus, a disease that > > kills more than 600,000 children worldwide every year.> > > > H. Fred , A. Offit and Stanley A. Plotkin worked on the > > vaccine at Children's Hospital and the Wistar Institute.> > > > Plotkin, who had already developed a vaccine for rubella, acted as > > mentor as former chief of infectious diseases at Children's > Hospital.> > > > , a veterinarian, helped isolate the virus from a bovine > strain.> > > > Then he and Offit worked together to develop the first mouse > models > > to study how rotavirus works.> > > > The vaccine was tested in 70,301 children between 2001 and 2005. > The > > total cost of development, mostly funded by Merck & Co. Inc., was > > close to $1 billion, researchers say.> > > > The Food and Drug Administration approved it Feb. 2.> >>

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