$2bn Compensation Pay-outs For Vaccine Damage

[Nienke]

http://www.wddty.com/03363800370060881833/...n-pay-outs.html

Vaccine Damage: Parents receive $2bn compensation pay-outs 04 October 2007

Vaccine manufacturers have paid out nearly $2bn in damages to parents in America whose children were harmed by one of the childhood jabs such as the MMR (measles-mumps- rubella) or DPT (diphtheria- pertussis- tetanus).

In all, around 2,000 families have received compensation payments that have averaged $850,000 each. There are a further 700 claims that are going through the pipeline.

None of the claims is for autism as medical researchers say they have failed to find a link between the disease and the MMR vaccine, despite the initial findings made by Dr Andrew Wakefield. Instead they are for a wide spectrum of physical and mental conditions that are likely to have been caused by one of the vaccinations.

Around 7,000 parents have filed a claim of an adverse reaction with America's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). To win an award, the claimant must prove a causal link to a vaccine. As the medical establishment has refused to recognise any link to autism, the VICP has so far rejected 300 claims for this outright.

(Source: New England Journal of Medicine, 2007; 357: 1275-9).

[geriatrickid]

The federal vaccine injury compensation program (VICP) created by Congress in 1986 was not designed to function as the judge of whether a causal relationship between a particular vaccine and health outcome has been scientifically proven to exist. It's intent is only to determine whether a child's injury could be reasonably presumed to be related to vaccination in the absence of a more plausible explanation.

Lawsuits based on junk science divert the vaccine industry's resources from research and threaten the development of products that are vital to America's security. Lawsuit abuse has caused the number of vaccine manufacturers to drop from 27 in 1967 to 4 today - The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA)

(If I counter your post as per the 1st item above, it's only fair I counter my own post here by noting that some of the 27 mentioned above were lost due to mergers and acquisitions. But still it makes for a nice soundbite, even if somewhat exagerated.)

[Prakanong]

The federal vaccine injury compensation program (VICP) created by Congress in 1986 was not designed to function as the judge of whether a causal relationship between a particular vaccine and health outcome has been scientifically proven to exist. It's intent is only to determine whether a child's injury could be reasonably presumed to be related to vaccination in the absence of a more plausible explanation.

Lawsuits based on junk science divert the vaccine industry's resources from research and threaten the development of products that are vital to America's security. Lawsuit abuse has caused the number of vaccine manufacturers to drop from 27 in 1967 to 4 today - The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA)

(If I counter your post as per the 1st item above, it's only fair I counter my own post here by noting that some of the 27 mentioned above were lost due to mergers and acquisitions. But still it makes for a nice soundbite, even if somewhat exagerated.)

the reason behind the exit from vaccines is not this either - now many are looking again but they have lost out

the greatest ever medical breakthrough is vaccines

Edited October 6, 2007 by Prakanong

[Sheryl]

While there is money to be made from new vaccines (as with any new drug since they can be patented) all or most of the standard childhood vaccines are long off patent and thus do not yield high returns. When that is combined with risk of lawsuits, manufacturers are naturally hesitate to produce these off-patent but still essential vaccines . The VICP was designed to overcome this dilemma, and also to avoid the publicity which accompanies vaccined lawsuits as this in turn frightens people off from vaccinating their kids.

Putting aside various still unproven claims, there are clearly known side effects to every vaccine. Most are mild but a few can be serious. The vaccines are recommended nonetheless because statistically more children will die or become disabled as a result of not being vaccinated than by being vaccinated, i.e. the risks of the vaccine are smaller than the risks of serious complications from the diseases the vaccines prevent. Perfectly sound thinking and valid policy, but small comfort to those few families whose children expereinced serious vaccine side effects.