Ministry vows to track down 280,000 at risk of hepatitis C

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Ministry vows to track down 280,000 at risk of hepatitis C

10/26/2007

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

The embattled health ministry plans to survey 280,000 patients who were administered a blood product that may have been contaminated with the hepatitis C virus. The plan was broached by health minister Yoichi Masuzoe during the Lower House Health, Labor and Welfare Committee session Wednesday. During the session, Naoto Kan, acting president of opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan), criticized Masuzoe and the ministry for failing to warn patients about the risk of hepatitis C infections even though ministry bureaucrats had documents on 418 at-risk patients as far back as 2002. Masuzoe indicated that the government and a drug company that provided the contaminated blood product, fibrinogen, would shoulder the costs of examination and treatment if the patients were infected with the hepatitis C virus. "There is no question that those responsible should cover (the expenses)," he said. Masuzoe also indicated the government plans to seek out-of-court settlements by year-end for five lawsuits over hepatitis C infections via fibrinogen and other tainted blood products. In 2002, the former Mitsubishi Pharma Corp. submitted to the ministry documents on patients who had developed hepatitis C after being given fibrinogen, the blood product the company manufactured and marketed. Kan, a former health minister who helped to resolve the HIV tainted blood fiasco in the 1990s, demanded the government conduct a thorough survey on the conditions of the 418 at-risk patients after identifying them. He also called for a study of about 280,000 individuals who had received fibrinogen. An estimated 10,000 of these people were infected with hepatitis C, according to government officials. Kan also insisted that the government and the drugmaker cover the medical expenses of those infected with hepatitis C from the tainted fibrinogen. In response, Masuzoe showed understanding to Kan's proposal, saying he wants to "implement (measures) in such a manner." When asked by reporters after the committee meeting if the government would cover the patients' medical fees, Masuzoe answered, "Yes, in principle." But identifying such a large number of at-risk patients will be a formidable challenge. The health ministry will have to work closely with medical institutions, the primary source of information on those who had received fibrinogen. Masuzoe, seeking cooperation from every possible source, said he would consider revising the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law to allow the government to order doctors and other medical staff to report on the at-risk patients. About 7,000 medical institutions were provided with fibrinogen, which was first approved in 1964 and administered until the 1980s. Health ministry officials believe that some of these institutions have already closed down. In addition, medical institutions at the time were required to keep records on patients for only five years. It is highly likely that most of the institutions have already disposed of their records on administering fibrinogen. Fibrinogen was originally produced by the now-defunct Green Cross Corp. Mitsubishi Pharma took over Green Cross's blood product operations. In 1987, eight women were found to have been infected with hepatitis C after receiving fibrinogen during childbirth.(IHT/Asahi: October 26,2007)

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