Conflicts of Interest

Vaccine Safety Consumer Group sites Conflict of Interest in Government Report on Cancer & contaminated Polio Vaccine Link


In a May 8, 1991 letter to Secretary Sullivan, the National Vaccine Information Center had asked Secretary Sullivan to remove two prominent physicians from the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP), the Department of Health and Human Services advisory committee which makes national vaccine policy and is responsible for creating the new DPT guidelines. NVIC asked for the resignations of Dr. James Cherry of UCLA, and Dr. Edward Mortimer of Case Western University, citing their conflict of interest for receiving MORE than $800,000 in expert witness, consulting fees, and research grants from DPT vaccine manufacturers. In the Department of Health and Human Services reply, Assistant Secretary Dr. James Mason gave no indication that DHHS would consider removing Cherry or Mortimer or any other doctor on the vaccine policy-making committee who has benefited financially from vaccine manufacturers. If this is not a conflict of interest, what is it? There are only five doctors that reside on the policy-making committee and two of those had received financial assistance from the pharmaceutical companies. Is there something wrong with this picture?

Send e-mail to GVAL