Pharmaceutical giant Merck urged to withdraw ‘pig virus’ vaccine

The pharmaceutical giant Merck is being urged to recall a vaccine that is allegedly contaminated with parts of a lethal virus known to infect pigs.

The call has come from the US National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), which has joined with holistic health pioneer Dr Joseph Mercola in calling for Merck to voluntarily recall its live rotavirus vaccine – known as RotaTeq. The center claims the vaccine is contaminated with parts of a lethal virus known as porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2). The campaigners also want Merck to pledge publicly to clean up the vaccine. On May 7, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) publicly pledged to reformulate its rotavirus vaccine, Rotarix, by removing DNA from a non-lethal pig virus (PCV1). “RotaTeq is contaminated with DNA from both PCV1 and PCV2. PCV2 is an aggressive virus that causes immune suppression, wasting disease and death in baby pigs,” says the NVIC in a news release. NVIC’s co-founder and president, Barbare Loe Fisher, says: “Responsible corporations voluntarily recall contaminated foods and drugs that could possibly compromise safety. When RotaTeq is squirted into the mouths of babies, how many doctors or parents know those babies are swallowing DNA from a virus that can injure and kill baby pigs?” Mercola said: “No company marketing a product found to be contaminated should be given a free pass. It is always dangerous to assume safety. Vaccines contaminated with viral DNA that could evolve and infect humans cannot and should not be assumed to be safe.” The FDA recommended in March that doctors temporarily suspend use of GSK’s Rotarix vaccine after an independent lab using new technology detected PCV1 DNA in the rotavirus vaccine given to infants aged two to six months. At a special FDA advisory committee meeting on May 7, NVIC called on the FDA to legally require manufacturers to adhere to regulations for testing of vaccines before and after licensure for contamination, and also require stricter labelling standards to inform consumers fully about any foreign DNA content that remains in vaccines. On May 14, the FDA withdrew its suspension of Rotarix vaccine recommendation, and pronounced both vaccines safe, even though both remain contaminated and safety data on PCV2 contamination of RotaTeq was not evaluated by the FDA advisory committee. Unidentified particles “NVIC and Mercola.com defend informed consent to vaccination and support public access to vaccines that meet high standards for proof of safety and effectiveness,” says the release, which goes on to quote Fisher as saying: “Rotavirus vaccine is not required for day care or school entry. “The American Academy of Pediatrics and doctors should be informing parents they have a choice and that one rotavirus vaccine is contaminated with DNA from a lethal pig virus while the other is not.” Mercola cites the recent voluntary recall of medicines for children that were contaminated with unidentified “particles,” as well as past voluntary recalls of contaminated food products. “Why should for-profit vaccine corporations which, unlike other industries, are shielded from liability by our government, be different from any other company selling a product in the US?” he asks. “The American consumer has a right to demand that the products they use are pure and free from contamination.” Free from contamination The National Vaccine Information Center is a non-profit organisation founded in 1982 to prevent vaccine injuries and deaths through public education and defend the informed consent ethic. Merck claims on its website that it maintains high ethical standards across its global business. “Our Office of Ethics supports our commitment to the highest standards of ethics and integrity in all of our business practices,” says the corporation. “We map out clear expectations for employees and hold them accountable for their behavior. We also have a number of mechanisms available such as an Ombudsman office and global AdviceLine to help counsel employees who face challenging situations.”