Scottish National Party Announces Tainted Blood Inquiry
Category: News and Politics

Scottish National Party Announces Tainted Blood Inquiry


The SNP has fulfilled its election pledge to hold a public inquiry into how people were infected with hepatitis C and HIV through contaminated blood products.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said previous government-led inquires into the issue lacked independence.

Hundreds of people in Scotland, including haemophiliacs, were given contaminated blood in the 70s and 80s.

The previous executive resisted calls from victims and their families for a public inquiry into the issue.

The independent inquiry, welcomed by campaigners, will be chaired by the former judge and sheriff Lady Cosgrove.

It will also specifically look into the deaths of two infected patients, Eileen O'Hara and Rev David Black, in 2003.

Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament:

"The transmission of hepatitis C and HIV through blood and blood products is a tragedy that has blighted the lives of many people in Scotland.

"That is why we are committed to a thorough inquiry to get to the bottom of this.

"We owe an explanation to patients and the public of what took place. We are determined to provide that."

Ms Sturgeon said the events took place at a time when evidence about blood-borne viral infections was more limited - but said, even then, there were indications that tainted blood supplies existed.

"There is no doubt that the people affected and their families deserve nothing less than answers to these questions," she told MSPs.

"If they are to achieve any sort of closure, we need to get to the bottom of what has been one of the most tragic episodes in NHS Scotland in the provision of treatment with blood and blood products."

Aberdeen North MSP Brian Adam added:

"Hundreds of haemophiliacs, and other patients requiring blood transfusions were infected with the blood borne Hepatitis C virus 30 years ago. These answers are long over due and I look forward to the outcome of this inquiry.

"I first lodged a parliamentary motion calling for a public inquiry into how these patients contracted Hepatitis C almost 9 years ago. It has taken two terms of parliament and finally a change of administration to see it happen.

"I am delighted for the families of those involved who have campaigned many more years than I, and hope they will now perhaps be able to move .. the inquiry has concluded and the truth has been revealed."

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Hepatitis-C patients successfully claim benefits in blood product scandal
Category: News and Politics

21 hepatitis-C patients successfully claim benefits in blood product scandal

Mainichi Daily News
Japan
February 29, 2008

Supporters of the plaintiffs show off banners in front of the Tokyo High Court, saying that they reached a settlement with the government.

The government and 21 patients who contracted hepatitis-C through contaminated blood products reached a court-mediated settlement in Tokyo on Friday.

Under the settlement, reached at the Tokyo High Court, the government will pay benefits to the plaintiffs after confirming that they were infected with hepatitis-C through contaminated blood products. The measure is based on a law that came into effect last month.

It was the first time that the government reached a settlement with hepatitis-C patients at a Tokyo court. Nationwide, 108 out of 304 plaintiffs have come to a settlement with the government over the blood products scandal.

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Families win long fight for hepatitis C deaths inquiry
Category: News and Politics

Families win long fight for hepatitis C deaths inquiry

The Scotsman
By CRAIG BROWN
06 February 2008

FOR the last eight years of her life, Eileen O'Hara was in constant pain – all because a blood transfusion that was meant to save her life went wrong.

The grandmother was one of many innocent victims fatally infected with the debilitating hepatitis C virus by contaminated NHS blood stocks during the 1970s and 1980s.

After a long campaign, her relatives yesterday celebrated a judge's landmark decision that will force Scottish ministers to launch an inquiry into the scandal.

Lord Mackay overturned a 2006 ruling by Scotland's most senior law officer, the Lord Advocate, Elish Angiolini, who ruled there should not be fatal accident inquiries into the deaths of Mrs O'Hara, 72, and the Rev David Black, 66, a haemophiliac who died of hepatitis C in 2003. Lord Mackay held that Ms Angiolini's decision had breached their human rights.

It is thought to be the first time a Scottish judge has quashed a decision of the Lord Advocate.

Mrs O'Hara's daughter, Roseleen Kennedy, said: "We knew we couldn't change what had happened. It's really been for us about finding out the truth, and always realising that there's hundreds of others out there that may still have this to go through. We didn't want anyone else to be in this position."

Another daughter, Annette O'Hara, 39, from Bishopbriggs, said: "I'm delighted that at last we get an opportunity to find answers to the questions we've had for many years.

"It's been a struggle. It has been very difficult at times, but luckily we are a close-knit family and we've been able to support each other. It would have been easy to give in, but we just felt that we had to do it for our mother."

Mrs Kennedy, 42, from Scotstoun, Glasgow, described how her mother's illness had gone undiagnosed until 1995, when she was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and subsequently hepatitis C. She contracted it during one of two operations on her heart in 1986 and 1991.

"It wasn't just one part that hurt – it was her whole body," she said. "Her stomach became swollen, her liver and spleen enlarged. Later on, she needed a wheelchair whenever she wanted to go out.

"She had always been a very active person. In the final weeks, she was bedridden in hospital."

A summary of Lord Mackay's findings said any investigation "could include the Lord Advocate seeking a fatal accident inquiry before a sheriff or the setting up of a public inquiry by the Scottish ministers".

The previous Labour administration at Holyrood had resisted calls from victims and their families for a public inquiry, but the SNP government has said one will be held. Its remit has yet to be established.

Frank Maguire, of Thompsons Solicitors, has campaigned on the family's behalf for more than three years.

He said that while the inquiry would focus on the deaths of Mr Black and Mrs O'Hara, it would have implications for other sufferers. "There are still people out there who have had transfusions in the 1980s and early 1990s who don't know they have hepatitis C because nothing has really been done about tracing them and they may have never come back into contact with hospitals since then," he said.

Hepatitis C is spread mainly through contact with the blood of a person who is
infected. It can lead to liver failure, but it can take years, or even decades, for symptoms to appear.

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Scottish Hepatitis C Tainted Blood Probe Gets OK
Category: News and Politics

Hepatitis C Tainted Blood Probe Gets OK

Feb 6 2008 By Natalie Walker
Glasgow Daily Record

AN INQUIRY will finally be launched into Scotland's tainted blood scandal.

It follows a judge's ruling yesterday which overturns a 2006 refusal to investigate the deaths of two Scots from hepatitis C.

Lord Mackay of Drumadoon found that government ministers and the Lord Advocate had acted in a way "incompatible" with the human rights of Eileen O'Hara and Rev David Black.

Both died in 2003. They were among the thousands of patients given contaminated blood in the 70s and 80s.

The previous Labour administration had refused to hold an inquiry into the deaths, saying "no further practical lessons" could be learned. But following the Court of Session ruling, the SNP repeated their vow to set up an investigation.

Eileen O'Ha ra's two daughter's welcomed a "major step" in their fight for justice.

Annette O'Hara, 39, of Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow, said: "We are delighted that at last we get an opportunity to find answers to the questions we've had for many years."

Her sister Roseleen Kennedy, 42, of Scotstoun, Glasgow, said: "This has been about finding out the truth."

Eileen, who died aged 72, received contaminated blood during heart surgery.

David, a haemophiliac, died at the age of 66, from liver cancer caused by hepatitis C.

Solicitor advocate Frank Maguire, who acted for their families, said there were an estimated 4000 victims of contaminated blood in Scotland.

He warned that many of them would not even know they have hepatitis C, adding: "Nothing has been really done about tracing people."

Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini and ministers are expected to make an announcement within weeks.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "The new administration has made clear we're committed to establishing a public inquiry."

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Japan to compensate patients in hepatitis scandal
Category: News and Politics

Japan to compensate patients in hepatitis scandal
Thu Jan 10, 2008 11:59pm EST

TOKYO, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Japan passed a law on Friday to compensate patients who contracted hepatitis C through tainted blood products, as Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda apologised again for the government's role in the scandal.

The ruling coalition proposed the compensation plan after Fukuda's delay in helping the victims eroded his public support ratings, adding to voter anger over mishandled pension records and a bribery case involving a former defence official.

At least 10,000 people are estimated to have contracted Hepatitis C through tainted products from around 1970 to the early 1990s. A group of patients sued the government and drug makers including Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp (4508.T: Quote, Profile, Research).

"Finally, our five-year battle has been rewarded," said Michiko Yamaguchi, one of the patients, after the new law was passed in an unanimous vote in parliament's upper house.

The group had been unhappy with a previous government aid proposal that sought to compensate only some victims under different conditions.

A public outcry forced Fukuda to order his ruling coalition to draft a new bill, under which an estimated 1,000 patients will be compensated under equal conditions.

The compensation will be funded by the government and drug companies.

Fukuda apologised to the patients and their families.

"The government must honestly admit to its responsibility for the enormous suffering brought about to the victims of the infection and for its inability to prevent it from spreading," he said in a statement.

In October, patients were outraged after Health Ministry officials admitted to having data that would have helped identify or warn hundreds of patients before their illnesses worsened.

Most cases have been linked to fibrinogen, a coagulant used to stop haemorrhaging during surgery or childbirth and sold in Japan even after it was withdrawn in the United States in 1977.

Hepatitis C can develop into chronic liver infection and cirrhosis. About 1 percent to 5 percent of people with the disease eventually die from long-term infection, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Fukuda's decision to draft the bill in December came a week after public opinion polls found ratings for his cabinet had plunged to just over 30 percent, a level analysts say could threaten his ability to stay in power. (Reporting by Chisa Fujioka; editing by Sophie Hardach)

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Japan Prime Minister addresses Tainted Blood Scandal
Category: News and Politics

NOTE: Arkansas prison plasma was sold to and used in Japan for years....

Japan Addresses Tainted Blood Victims

Sunday, December 23, 2007
By CHISAKI WATANABE, Associated Press Writer


TOKYO —
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Sunday his ruling bloc will submit legislation providing aid to about 1,000 people exposed to hepatitis C through defective blood-clotting products sold by pharmaceutical companies.

"I hope the bill will be passed quickly and want everyone to feel relieved soon," Fukuda said at the Prime Minister's Office, as he seeks to resolve the scandal that has prompted public anger.

Fukuda did not give any details about the legislation.

About 200 patients have filed lawsuits in five courts across Japan, demanding compensation from the government and drug makers Nihon Pharmaceutical Co., Mitsubishi Pharma Corp. and the latter's subsidiary Benesis Corp. Japanese media say about 800 others are expected to file suit.

The plaintiffs say they contracted hepatitis C while using defective blood-clotting medicines, mostly in the 1980s, and claim the government and the drug-makers continued to use the medicines, despite their knowledge that they were potentially contaminated.

Four of the five courts have ordered the defendants -- the government and drug makers -- to compensate dozens of patients and the Osaka High Court issued a settlement proposal in November. The two sides have since attempted to reach an out-of-court settlement, although negotiations have bogged down over how the plaintiffs would be compensated.

"We have always wanted uniform compensation after they acknowledge their responsibility so I am very glad that the prime minister and the government accept our wish," said Satoko Kuwata, one of the plaintiffs.

Hepatitis C is a viral disease that affects the liver and is often transmitted through contact with infected blood.

An estimated 2 million Japanese have contracted the disease, many through tainted blood products, media reports say.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

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Japan tainted blood victims reject compensation plan
Category: News and Politics

Japan hepatitis patients reject compensation plan

Thu Dec 13, 2007 5:10am EST

TOKYO, Dec 13 (Reuters) - A group of Japanese who sued the government and drug makers after being infected with potentially deadly hepatitis C from tainted blood products rejected a court-proposed settlement on Thursday.

Saying the plan was too narrow, plaintiffs instead called on Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to make sure all victims were compensated.

"We said in court that we absolutely could not accept this proposed settlement," one plaintiff told reporters. "The government and the drug companies should rescue all the victims."

The Osaka high court proposed an out-of-court settlement on Thursday in one of five similar suits. Details of the plan were not made public, but public broadcaster NHK said it would not cover all those infected.

Between 10,000-30,000 people are estimated to have contracted hepatitis C from products such as coagulant fibrinogen, used to stop haemorrhaging during childbirth or surgery and sold in Japan even after being withdrawn in the United States in 1977.

Many of them lack medical records to prove they were treated with the defective products and now face the expense of treatments to control their condition, which can become chronic and lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

"All that is left is for the prime minister to make a political decision," Michiko Yamaguchi, one of those infected, told reporters.

Earlier this week hundreds of protesters marched to Fukuda's office demanding a meeting with him to put their case, but succeeded only in meeting an aide.

Fukuda said on Thursday there were problems with the way the government had dealt with the issue and that it should reflect on its mistakes, but said he needed time to consider his course of action and would not meet the plaintiffs immediately.

"Those who were infected have suffered for many years, both mentally and physically, so I want to do my best to resolve this as quickly as possible," Fukuda told reporters.

He added that the government was working on its own plan to help victims with their medical costs, to be implemented next year, but gave no details. (Reporting by Isabel Reynolds; Editing by Alex Richardson)

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Hepatitis C redress tallied at ¥3 billion
Category: News and Politics

Hepatitis C redress tallied at ¥3 billion

The Japan Times
Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007

Kyodo News

The government would have to pay about ¥3 billion to compensate hepatitis C sufferers who caught the disease through tainted blood products, sources familiar with the health ministry's estimate said Wednesday.

The sum, which the government has been considering presenting to the victims, appears to have been calculated based on the Tokyo District Court ruling in March that ordered the government and three drugmakers to pay damages to the victims.

The government believes paying the ¥3 billion in a lump sum enables all of the victims to receive some level of compensation. But such a proposal is likely to draw criticism. A plaintiff has said, "It won't be a relief for everyone involved."

Presiding Judge Atsuo Nagano, acting on a ¥1.353 billion damages suit, ordered the government and drugmakers to pay a combined ¥259 million to 13 of the 21 plaintiffs.

The three-judge panel found that the plaintiffs were given hepatitis C virus-tainted blood products — fibrinogen, christmassin or PPSB-Nichiyaku — from 1980 to 1988 to stop bleeding when they underwent surgery or gave birth.

The panel held the government responsible for administering fibrinogen between April 1987 and June 1988, and the pharmaceutical companies between August 1985 and June 1988. It also held the pharmaceutical companies responsible for administering either christmassin or PPSB-Nichiyaku for all infections since January 1984.

The defendants in the suit were the government, Mitsubishi Pharma Corp., its subsidiary, Benesis Corp., and Nihon Pharmaceutical Co. Mitsubishi Pharma is the successor to the now defunct major blood product maker Green Cross Corp.

On Tuesday, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe apologized to a group of victims infected with hepatitis C through tainted blood products.

The Japan Times: Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007
(C) All rights reserved

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The Tainted Blood Tragedy: The Canadian Hemophilia Society, Remembering the Past... Vigilant fo
Category: News and Politics

NOTE: This is what the Canadian Hemophilia Society had to say about FACTOR 8.

"Mr. Duda's film is a chilling account of one of the most bizarre and disturbing chapters in the Canadian Tainted Blood Scandal. Hopefully watching FACTOR 8 will encourage the people of the United States to demand answers and accountability." -- The Canadian Hemophilia Society


The Tainted Blood Tragedy: The Canadian Hemophilia Society, Remembering the Past...

Canadian Hemophilia Society
Nov 26, 2007 08:00 ET

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 26, 2007) - Lest we forget, the Canadian Hemophilia Society (CHS) has initiated the process to hold a Commemoration of the Tainted Blood Tragedy.

To launch the Commemoration, the first Tree of Life in what the CHS hopes will become a small memorial forest across the country will be planted today at the Head Office of Canadian Blood Services in Ottawa. Hema-Quebec has also endorsed the Commemoration and will plant a tree at its Head Office in Montreal in 2008.

At the same time, the CHS is releasing its 2005-2007 Report Card on Canada's Blood System. This marks the fourth such analysis since the publication of the Final Report of the Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada (the Krever Report) on November 26, 1997, exactly 10 years ago.

"We promised our members we would do all in our power not to let such a tragedy happen again," said Pam Wilton, CHS President. "This Commemoration to remember those who lost their lives, and this Report Card to focus attention on a safe and secure blood system, are two parts of that commitment."

"Today, 25 years after the blood tragedy began to unfold, we remember all those who have passed away," said Minister of Health, the Honourable Tony Clement. "While providing compensation to all those who have suffered was the right thing to do, it can never erase the pain. Lessons learned from this tragedy will never be forgotten and today, Canada's national blood system is recognized by the World Health Organization as having developed the highest standards of blood safety and is a model for other countries."

In the 1980s, more than 1,100 Canadians were infected by HIV through blood and blood products. Seven hundred received blood products to treat hemophilia and other bleeding disorders; 400 received transfusions for trauma, surgery, childbirth, cancer and other diseases. Three-quarters of these victims have passed away.

A much larger number of people - up to 20,000 - were infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) through blood and blood products before testing was introduced in 1990. The number of people who have died from hepatitis C related liver disease caused by tainted blood is not known but could be in the thousands, and continues to rise.

"We are also focusing on the importance of blood safety," added Pam Wilton. "Transfusion medicine has advanced greatly: clotting factor concentrates to treat hemophilia are now considered one of the safest therapeutics available; transfusions of red cells, platelets and plasma are safer than ever before. Following the recommendations of the Krever Commission, major reforms were made to Canada's blood collection and distribution system. But we must remain vigilant."

Dr. Graham Sher, Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Blood Services, said, "It is significant that we come together with the Canadian Hemophilia Society today to plant this tree in front of the Head Office of Canadian Blood Services. Each of our organizations has a different perspective on the blood system - one the perspective of the supplier and the other the perspective of the customer. But no matter what is our perspective, we have the same goal of ensuring that patients receive safe blood and blood products."

The concept of the "Tree of Life" has been chosen for the Commemoration. The tree is an important symbol in almost every culture. With its branches reaching into the sky, and roots deep into the earth, a tree symbolizes life. For families who have lost a loved one, it can be a daily reminder that the person is not forgotten, that his/her memory lives on.

The first national Commemoration, presided by the Honourable Horace Krever, will be held on October 27, 2008. (October 27 represents the day in 1993 Justice Horace Krever was appointed to head the Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada.) A tree and memorial plaque will stand as a permanent reminder of the tragedy in the nation's capital. Trees of life will also be planted in provincial capitals and an invitation will be extended to those who have lost loved ones to plant trees on municipal land, in public parks or on their own properties. A Web site, to be launched early in the new year, will provide people with the opportunity to tell the story of a person who has passed away or is living with the consequences of tainted blood.

These trees will stand as living memorials to the thousands of victims who lost their lives in Canada's tainted blood tragedy. May their pain and suffering not be in vain.

The Canadian Blood Services tree-planting will take place today at 1800 Alta Vista Drive in Ottawa at 1 p.m.

The Canadian Hemophilia Society Report Card on the Blood System is available at www.hemophilia.ca/en.

Profile of the CHS

The Canadian Hemophilia Society (CHS) is a national voluntary health charity. Our Mission is to strive to improve the health and quality of life for all people with inherited bleeding disorders, and to find a cure. Our Vision is a world free from the pain and suffering of inherited bleeding disorders.

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Japan Govt to take some blame for HCV infection bungle
Category: News and Politics

NOTE: For the Japanese government to take steps toward accepting blame for the hepatitis infections there IS a major step. And as many of you already know a lot of prison blood from Arkansas was used in Japan that infected thousands....


Govt to take some blame for HCV infection bungle

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Nov. 14, 2007

The ruling coalition parties will include an unprecedented preamble about the spread of the hepatitis C virus by tainted blood products in a new bill designed to combat the spread of the disease, which is expected to be submitted to the current Diet session, sources said Tuesday.

The preamble will state that when new treatment methods were introduced it cannot be denied it led to some people being infected with the hepatitis virus. Sources said that the wording is indirect yet meaningful and will help clarify the legal responsibility of the government and pharmaceutical makers in the case.

With a preamble holding the government accountable, to appease the opposition parties, the ruling coalition parties plan to pass the bill during the current Diet session after fine-tuning it with the opposition parties.

The Osaka High Court, ruling on a lawsuit filed against the government and two pharmaceutical companies, recommended that the issue be settled through mediation.

The passage of the bill likely will affect settlement negotiations.

With the ruling and opposition parties each having a majority of seats in one of the two chambers, support from the opposition parties is needed to pass bills in the Diet.

As such, the preamble is a move to show that the ruling coalition parties have heeded the opposition parties' call for the government to be held accountable for the infections.

The Democratic Party of Japan has already submitted to the upper house a bill calling for the hepatitis patients to receive financial assistance for medical treatment, but the ruling coalition parties will propose the two sides fine-tune the bill outlined by the ruling camp.

Since the number of hepatitis B and C virus patients is estimated at about 3.5 million, the ruling coalition parties will state in the preamble that hepatitis is the most serious infectious disease in the country, the sources said.

The bill also will include a sentence stating that due consideration should be given to hepatitis patients to ensure they are not discriminated against, the sources said.

After clearing the procedural stages within the parties, the LDP and New Komeito plan to submit the lawmaker-sponsored bill to the lower house this week.

===

50 hepatitis patients contacted

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Tuesday an interim report released by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. revealed that the pharmaceutical company had identified 222 of 418 hepatitis C patients who may have contracted the virus after being administered tainted blood products and notified 50 of them.

The ministry and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, formerly Green Cross Corp., had come under fire for neglecting to inform the 418 listed patients that they might have been administered the tainted blood product fibrinogen.

According to the report, 11 of the listed patients have died.

The cause of the deaths is unknown, but if the patients had been infected by the hepatitis C virus, failure to notify them of an infection might have worsened their conditions.

Of the 222 people identified as of Friday, 30 cannot be notified--11 have died and the whereabouts of 19 has not been ascertained, according to the report.

Furthermore, of the 222, 21 have finished treatment and 23 are still undergoing treatment, the report said.

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