Originally published September 9 2008
Kids Pricked for Profit: The Financial Ties of Vaccine Promoters to Big Pharma
by Joanne Waldron
(NaturalNews) In a shocking article from a mainstream media source, CBS News, it is reported that some of the biggest vaccine promoters and defenders have very strong financial ties to the vaccine industry, to put it mildly. Just who is involved? According to CBS News Investigative Correspondent, Sharyl Attkisson, three of the "players" include the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Every Child By Two (a group whose main agenda is to promote vaccination), and a pediatrician named Dr. Paul Offit.
Big Pharma Routinely Gives Money to AAP
The AAP, recently in the news for recommending statin drugs for certain groups of children as young as eight and cholesterol screening for infants, accepted a $342,000 payment from Wyeth, the maker of the pneumococcal vaccine, which is worth about 2 billion dollars a year in sales. The AAP also took $433,000 from Merck the year they endorsed the controversial HPV vaccine (which is expected to bring in billions of dollars in profits) and is currently being pushed on little girls as young as nine. Sanofi Aventis, a pharmaceutical company that makes 17 vaccines and the new 5-in-1 combo shot that was recently added to the childhood vaccination schedule, is also one of the AAP's top donors, purports CBS News.
Who Handles The Money at Every Child By Two?
What about Every Child By Two? The group flatly refused to tell CBS News just how much money they received from the vaccine industry. While they claim no conflicts of interest exist, take a look at their list of officers. Their "treasurers" include "officials from Wyeth and a paid advisor to big pharmaceutical clients," according to the CBS report.
Doc Who Has Immunized Himself Against Poverty
Then there's Dr. Paul Offit, who holds a $1.5 million dollar research chair at Children's Hospital, funded by none other than Merck. Some may remember that he and Merck hold a patent on Rotateq, an anti-diarrhea vaccine for which the future royalties were just sold for a whopping 182 million bucks. According to CBS, this doctor claims that babies can tolerate 10,000 vaccines at once. Unbelievable. Dr. Douglass, who has long expressed concerns about the vaccination industry, wrote in his newsletter: "...no wonder Dr. Offit loves vaccines so much -- he's apparently fully immunized himself against poverty." Indeed. While Dr. Douglass may not see eye-to-eye with natural health advocates on every issue, he's right on the mark here.
Much Still Unknown About Financial Ties
Attkisson states, in a Couric & Co. blog post, that none of the parties involved were willing to provide a full accounting of their financial relationships. Amazingly enough, even though the two groups (AAP, Every Child By Two) both received tax benefits for their non-profit status, there is no law requiring them to provide those details to anyone, including the IRS. When the vaccine companies themselves were approached, they said they "would not, or could not give such information as: financial support they give to educational institutions, physicians and research projects; a list of outside physicians who are on the payroll as researchers, speakers, advisors or consultants; and an accounting of funding provided to non-profits, medical organizations and government entities such as IOM, NIH, CDC and FDA," reports Attkisson.
The bottom line is that parents need to research the safety and efficacy of each vaccine and weigh the possible benefits and absolute risks of giving each vaccine to their children for themselves. The CBS report provides some compelling evidence that people responsible for recommending vaccines may not necessarily be objective. Clearly, the report probably only scratched the surface of all that's really happening in the industry.
Doctors Are Sheep, Big Pharma is The Shepherd
Even doctors who have no financial ties to the industry often rely on the advice and opinions of the AAP. How often does one find a doctor who dares to go against the recommendations of the AAP? The truth is that most doctors are sheep, and Big Pharma is the shepherd.
Doctors often use scare tactics to try to push parents into giving children vaccinations, but remember that vaccinations are easy money for doctors. Every time a new vaccine is added to the schedule, doctors make a boatload of money for giving another quick jab. (Compare this to the many computer companies that provide anti-virus software for computers than can be downloaded for free.) Make no mistake about it: the whole vaccine industry is motivated by obscene profits. Parents need to seek out unbiased information sources when making decisions about the health of their children.
About the author
Joanne Waldron is a computer scientist with a passion for writing and sharing health-related news and information with others. She hosts the Naked Wellness: The Gentle Health Revolution forum, which is devoted to achieving radiant health, well-being, and longevity.
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