WASHINGTON, July 25, 2008
How Independent Are Vaccine Defenders?
Sharyl Attkisson Investigates Vaccine Advocates Taking Funding From The Companies Whose Vaccines They Endorse
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Play CBS Video Video Pediatrician, Vaccine Scrutiny Government officials and some scientists say there's no link between vaccines and autism ? and they're often backed by independent experts. But how "independent" are they? Sharyl Attkisson reports.
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(CBS/iStockphoto)
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Blog Primary Source Armen Keteyian and his investigative team keep you informed daily on their blog.
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E-MAIL US CBS News Investigates E-mail Armen Keteyian and the investigation team with your story ideas.
They're some of the most trusted voices in the defense of vaccine safety: the American Academy of Pediatrics, Every Child By Two, and pediatrician Dr. Paul Offit.
But CBS News has found these three have something more in common - strong financial ties to the industry whose products they promote and defend.
The vaccine industry gives millions to the Academy of Pediatrics for conferences, grants, medical education classes and even helped build their headquarters. The totals are kept secret, but public documents reveal bits and pieces.
Every Child By Two, a group that promotes early immunization for all children, admits the group takes money from the vaccine industry, too - but wouldn't tell us how much.
A spokesman told CBS News: "There are simply no conflicts to be unearthed." But guess who's listed as the group's treasurers? Officials from Wyeth and a paid advisor to big pharmaceutical clients.
Then there's Paul Offit, perhaps the most widely-quoted defender of vaccine safety.
He's gone so far as to say babies can tolerate "10,000 vaccines at once."
This is how Offit described himself in a previous interview: "I'm the chief of infectious disease at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor of pediatrics at Penn's medical school," he said.
Offit was not willing to be interviewed on this subject but like others in this CBS News investigation, he has strong industry ties. In fact, he's a vaccine industry insider.
Offit holds in a $1.5 million dollar research chair at Children's Hospital, funded by Merck. He holds the patent on an anti-diarrhea vaccine he developed with Merck, Rotateq, which has prevented thousands of hospitalizations.
And future royalties for the vaccine were just sold for $182 million cash. Dr. Offit's share of vaccine profits? Unknown.
There's nothing illegal about the financial relationships, but to critics, they pose a serious risk for conflicts of interest. As one member of Congress put it, money from the pharmaceutical industry can shape the practices of those who hold themselves out to be "independent."Read more about this story at Couric & Co. Blog
The American Academy of Pediatrics, Every Child By Two and Dr. Offit would not agree to interviews, but all told us they're up front about the money they receive, and it doesn't sway their opinions.
Today's immunization schedule now calls for kids to get 55 doses of vaccines by age 6.
Ideally, it makes for a healthier society. But critics worry that industry ties could impact the advice given to the public about all those vaccines.
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- Thank you SO MUCH for this story. I have seen Paul Offit so often quoted as independent but know well that he is not.
I have two children that I believe were born with no problems but have been injured by their vaccines. (Son with Aspergers Syndrome and daughter with ADD & seizures)
What has happened to our children is an international tragedy. These people (Offit and others) will burn in hell, I am convinced, but, oh, so many lives are being ruined--not just the children but the families struggling to cope with the situation; the marriages broken; the bankrupcies, in the meantime.
Thanks again, so much, for bringing a piece of the truth to light in this monumental crime against people everywhere. - Reply to this comment
- Where are all the boomers in this discussion.... We lived through most of the childhood illnesses ( MMR,varicella,roseola) went to parties, sleep overs to contract them. I lived in a very large housing project in NYC, we knew every kid that had a disability and their was only one that had autism. I was vaccinated for pertussis as an infant and contracted pertussis as a toddler. Go figure.
Now I have a child w/ASD that was NT (neuro typical) pre MMR. Double go figure. - Reply to this comment
- Unbelievable, Finally and THANK YOU!
I just wish that I knew you were coming out
with this for my family to be alerted.
Instead they saw the praise of Offit (Satin)
and the demonization of Wakefield who has
brought this subject to light despite what
ever controversy surrounds him
THANK YOU CBS for truth in media - Reply to this comment
- This story needs to be sent to NBC and Matt Lauer. This evening they will host a program regarding the vaccine controversy and Mr. Offit is being portrayed as an "impartial" expert on vaccines.
NBC obviously will have egg on their face and thank you CBS for taking the courage to bring this story forward now.
As parents that watched their perfectly healthy child regress into autism after numerous vaccines in one day in 1993, we want someone to finally admit that due to money, many children in this country have sustained medical damage.
It's about morals, ethics, and comes down to accountability.
For those that doubt that vaccines laden with toxins that will not cause damage, please realize parents that have seen it happen are not off the wall, uneducated or misinformed. We've been fighting to have this realized for fifteen years. We've done the research and people like Mr. Offit should not be seen, nor continue to portray himself as an "impartial" expert when he makes his living off vaccines. - Reply to this comment
- Good studies are being done, what a joke. The maker of the drug PAYS for studies to be done. If I don''t give a good result to the study I will not get anymore studies. And I bet all the drug companies have a list of who will not write a good review. And bad studies just get lost and not reported. When this happens it shows how concerned the medical community is with us. And as for studies 1% better results than a placebo is good. Also when they tested for autism they took and broke all the compounds down and tested each one!!! All the parts of it by themselves may be safe, BUT use together will produce a different results.
And when that shot is given with others the results are again different. I think all MD''s were taught the rule of five!!!! One drug can give 5 results, 2 drugs X5 or 25 results, 3 drugs X5 or 125 results.
Lets get the same studies done by a group that questions the results, and compare. If you look deep enough sometimes you will find side effects that aren''t in the PDR. Don''t expect your MD to look for this, as they are lucky if the know whats on the label. Drug SALEMAN or the TV ads or demands from patients dictate his scrips. Lets start with banning all TV aids - Reply to this comment
- Physician vaccine advocates, including the American Medical Association, are driven by our desire and responsibility to provide our patients with the best treatments backed by sound, scientific evidence. Vaccines are one of the best public health accomplishments of all time and have proven time and time again their ability to keep horrific diseases at bay.
Unsubstantiated myths about vaccine risks and conflicts of interest between industry and advocates lead increasing numbers of parents to choose not to vaccinate their children - placing them at risk for life-threatening diseases. Scientific data overwhelmingly shows that there is no connection between vaccines and autism. Autism is a heart-wrenching condition, and the upheaval felt by parents whose children suffer with autism is understandable %u2013 as is their search for answers. We absolutely need ongoing research into the causes of autism. However, we cannot let unfounded myths keep us from giving our children the proven protection they need against dangerous infectious diseases.
By AMA Board Member and Pediatrician Samantha Rosman, M.D. - Reply to this comment
- cmfm2 writes at 08:46 PM : Jul 28, 2008:
"To imply that drs, nurses, researchers and other health professionals are involved in some sort of conspiracy to harm children and make themselves money is unbelievably insulting and extremely poor journalism on the part of CBS."
Sharyl Attkisson implied nothing of the sort - what she is doing is giving you informations about conflicts of interest and the response that we are not supposed to believe that money influences decisions.
It is my experience that drs, nurses, researchers and other health professionals are simply grossly misinformed by the very organizations discussed in this report.
We met with Commissioner Dr. Sanne Magnan of the Minnesota Department of Health in January 2008 to discuss mercury free vaccines legislation. She brought up that "Studies show there is no link to autism" even though we never brought up the subject. We asked her which studies and could, she name them, she could not. We asked heer if she had readthem completely, she had not.
And this is highest official at Mn Dept. of Health, who is simply taking the words of the AAP, ECBT and Dr. Offit.
This is not a conspiracy, it is disgusting laziness. - Reply to this comment
- You get to choose whether or not you believe that someone can be completely abjective about a subject that impacts there paycheck. No matter witch side you do belive it is your chose. Let''s also make sure everyone get''s to choose whether or not vaccinations are something they believe in.
- Reply to this comment
- For those journalists who consider Jenny McCarthy, Larry King, Rolling Stone,and Google to be scientific primary sources, I suppose it is difficult to believe that other professionals have ethics and standards and utilize science as a basis for decision making.
To imply that drs, nurses, researchers and other health professionals are involved in some sort of conspiracy to harm children and make themselves money is unbelievably insulting and extremely poor journalism on the part of CBS. - Reply to this comment
- I am disappointed that CBS went with a one-sided story in which the reporter failed to consider the conflicts of interest and financial arrangements of many leading anti-vaccinationists.
- Reply to this comment
- With re: to the issue of informed consent: In 2003 I was assured by my pediatric practice that the "mercury was out of the shots". My son has his 15 mos. "well baby" check up on 12/04/03 and received two vaccines which we later discovered did in fact contain mercury in the preservative thimerosal (the DTaP and the flu shot)*. In early July of 2004, Matthew''s blood tested positive for mercury. I had myself and my other son tested as well and we came back negative. Matthew had never eaten even a taste of fish, nor did I consume fist at all while pregnant. Anyway, immediately following the 15 mos. shots, he began to regress in all of the typical areas of autism--language (lost all of it), gestures and pointing, play skills, and slipped into his own world. To make a long story short, we began the gf/cf/sf diet and a detoxification regimen when he was just 2. We also did speech therapy and OT. His initial IQ at 2 1/2 just before we fully started the diet was 50. Two years on the diet/detox. and it increased to 85. As of April of 2008, his overall IQ is above average and his teacher said he is at the top of his %u201Cregular%u201D class. He no longer displays any symptoms of autism and has lots of friends, enjoying everything from soccer to sleepovers.
Our story has a happy ending, but unfortunately this is not the case for many others who do not have the resources we were fortunate to have. - Reply to this comment
- The sad fact is that many children have been and continue to be injured by toxins in vaccines such as the mercury which is still in the flu shot (as well in several other vaccines--check the FDA website) and an overly aggressive vaccine schedule. When industry insiders like Paul Offitt present themselves as independent, the public is subject to potentially gross misinformation and a lack of informed consent.
- Reply to this comment
- Is this what reporting has come down to--pretending to be shocked by public information that is really not shocking? Is there anything about Dr. Offit in this story that wasn''t already known by the people promoting autism as vaccine injury?
Dr. Offit is a successful vaccine researcher. So we shouldn''t listen to him on vaccine related issues?
"Offit holds in a $1.5 million dollar research chair at Children''s Hospital, funded by Merck"
Leaving aside the odd grammar, there are a couple of points. First, the chair is $2M, with $500,000 from Children''s Hospital of Philadephia. tinyurl.com/5vqwwc
Second, consider how endowed chairs work. Dr. Offit does not %u2018own%u2019 the $2M. When he leaves the position, CHOP and Penn will keep the chair and give it to another researcher. Likely this pays his salary and gives him a certain amount of money for his research.
The money to "endow" a chair is given to the organization. Most likely Merck has no direct control over the money or who gets the chair in the future. Sure, CHOP and Penn will likely consult with Merck, but CHOP and Penn are in control.
Why is that important? Two reasons. First, the chair was really a reward to CHOP and Penn for promoting vaccine research, not to Dr. Offit. Second, and more important to this discussion, the chair actually makes Dr. Offit more independent. He has a source of funding that is constant and not controlled by company or government grants.
More independent. That''s a good thing. - Reply to this comment
- "A flu epidemic killed over 100 million people in 1918-19."
ACTUALLY, THE DEATH TOLL FROM THE SPANISH FLU IS UNKNOWN; IT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ANYWHERE FROM 20 MILLION TO 100 MILLION WORLDWIDE (APPROXIMATELY 2-5% OF THE WORLD''S POPULATION)
"These days, most outbreaks kill the elderly and other vulnerable people."
NOT JUST THESE DAYS. OUTBREAKS HAVE ALWAYS KILLED THE MOST VULNERABLE BECAUSE OF THEIR WEAKENED DEFENSES. THE SPANISH FLU WAS UNIQUE BECAUSE IT KILLED MOSTLY YOUNGER PEOPLE, POSSIBLY DUE TO THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEMS BEING WEAKENED BY THE PHYSICAL TOLL BOUGHT ON BY WW1, OR POSSIBLY DUE TO CYTOKINE STORMS.
"Measles kills over 300,000 people a year worldwide, and can cause pneumonia and brain damage."
YES, IT KILLS THOSE WHO ARE MALNOURISHED AND DON''T HAVE ACCESS TO BASIC MEDICAL CARE. DON''T COMPARE THE CONDITIONS IN THE THIRD WORLD (WHERE THE ONLY WAY TO PREVENT DEATH FROM MEASLES IS TO PREVENT THE MEASLES) TO THAT OF A HEALTHY, WELL-FED CHILD IN NORTH AMERICA. IN FACT, I''D BE HAPPY TO ALTRUISTICALLY SEND MY CHILDREN''S UNUSED MEASLES VACCINES OVERSEAS TO THOSE WHO TRULY DO NEED THEM.
"Small pox pustules can infect, leading to a systemic staph infection that can require hospitalization, and occasionally kills."
THAT''S A BIT OF A NULL POINT. IF MEMORY SERVES, THE WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY DECLARED SMALLPOX ERADICATED WORLDWIDE OVER A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AGO. - Reply to this comment
- My grandson had his scheduled 4 month vaccinations on March 13th, 2008 in NH and died hours after the shots were administered. He was a very healthy and active,4 mos. old, 100% breastfed, no pre-existing conditions. There was another 4 mo.old infant in Davenport, Ia. that died on July 5th,and 3 in Idaho last fall.
What is it going to take for our Government agencies,Congressmen and Congresswomen to stop taking money from the big Pharmacutical companies,and stop passing legislation in favor of the Pharmacutical co. and against the injured children and their families. Start representing the people by holding these Pharma Companies accountable instead of rewarding them. Children are being injured and are dying from too many multiple vaccines all at once to these tiny bodies. New multiple vaccines are added every year to the already overloaded schedule. Please stop the business as usual in Washington and start really protecting our children. They don''t have money to buy your work on their behalf, only parents that vote. These children count far more than all the money you can get from the Pharmacutical companies. Thank you CBS for sharing this story. - Reply to this comment
- "Vaccines injure MILLIONS. Autism, asthma, food allergies, over active immune systems, dyslexia, apraxia, cancer, juvinile arthritis, and many others.
The more we vaccinate the sicker we get.
congrats to CBS on this one."
Yes, congrats to CBS News for lending its legitimacy to a movement that seeks to demonize the vaccine program, with baseless accusations and improbable conspiracy theories. - Reply to this comment
- Yes, vaccine''s can cause autism. My son was completely normal with language and then had his last set of vaccination''s. Struck a 105 fever within hour''s of his innoculation and lost all of his language and descended into regressive autism from the vaccination. From that point on my child became sicker and sicker with nightly wakening''s cramping in a ball because of all of the damage to his gut, which he never had previously to the *** shot''s! We are complete proof that vaccine''s can cause Autism. How many of these exactly same story''s will it take to make some of you people believe the connection!
All they do is deny it and add more vaccine''s to the schedule for pure profit, I wonder if they give these vaccine''s to their children??? Until it happen''s to your normal child, you''ll probably never believe it!
Thanks for the great coverage on this important issue! - Reply to this comment
- Thank you very, very much CBS News and Sharyl Atkisson! Finally the truth about these conflicts comes forth. We desperately need full disclosure on these types of financial conflicts. Once people know whose side these "independent experts" are on, they will begin to see through the lies.
We need large-scale, independent, randomized controlled trials to put this issue to rest. The researchers must have no financial ties to industry. The best way to study this is to compare a large group of totally unvaccinated children (which does exist in the US) with an equally large group of fully vaccinated kids. Let''s have the truth.
Why is the AAP and Dr. Offit afraid of this type of study? Every other study on this subject was funded by the CDC and the vaccine industry, and the researchers had severe financial conflicts. We must do this the right way, now! - Reply to this comment
- "Remember Thalidomide ? they defended that to the bitter end when thousands were affected."
Thalidomide wasn''t approved for use in the US. Get your facts straight, and watch who you''re calling scum. - Reply to this comment
"Flu is rarely deadly, measles aren''''t deadly, chicken pox isn''''t either. They are only inconvenient."
A flu epidemic killed over 100 million people in 1918-19. These days, most outbreaks kill the elderly and other vulnerable people. Measles kills over 300,000 people a year worldwide, and can cause pneumonia and brain damage. Small pox pustules can infect, leading to a systemic staph infection that can require hospitalization, and occasionally kills.
Spreading misinformation about an important public health program is more than inconvenient. It''s destructive and, quite frankly, inexcusable. If you don''t know what you''re talking about, you should post elsewhere. I suggest GOPUSA.com .- Reply to this comment
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
