Newly-Approved Pentacel Vaccine Uses_Aborted Fetal Cell Line MRC-5

[Guest guest]

Human DNA contamination of the vaccine

Previous version - monkey DNA contamination of the vaccine

Pentacel version - " because the polio portion of this vaccine is grown

on the MRC-5 cell line - derived from human fetuses. "

OFFIT admitting this?

" Offit, chief of infectious diseases at The Children's Hospital

in Philadelphia, said the use of monkey kidney cells in the past to

grow the polio vaccine risked exposure to the Simian vacuolating

virus 40 (SV40). This virus has the potential to cause tumors and is

found in both monkeys and humans. SV40 virus concerns surfaced with

the live, oral polio vaccine, which no longer is used in the United States. "

Pediarix version - " Since the poliovirus is inactivated and the

vaccine is ministered via shot, the risk of SV40 is eliminated. " -

not proven to be true

" Furton, ethicist and director of public relations at the

National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia said, " Yes, you

can use them for the time being (if there are no ethical

alternatives), but this practice must come to an end. "

" AVM is currently using rabbit cells to work on a vaccine for Rubella "

Alas

Sheri

http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=19849224 & BRD=2737 & PAG=461 & dept_i\

d=576361 & rfi=8

Inside Today's Bulletin

Newly-Approved Pentacel Vaccine Uses_Aborted Fetal Cell Line MRC-5

By: Maguire, The Bulletin

07/14/2008

email this story

Email to a

friend<http://www.thebulletin.us/site/?brd=2737 & pag=795 & newsid=19849224 & action=s\

ubmit>

post a comment

<http://www.thebulletin.us/site/?brd=2737 & pag=795 & newsid=19849224 & action=submit>\

Post

a

Comment<http://www.thebulletin.us/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=2737 & dept_id=5763\

61 & newsid=19849224>

printer friendly

<http://www.thebulletin.us/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=2737 & dept_id=576361 & news\

id=19849224>Printer-friendly

On June 26, the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP)

recommended adding the Pentacel vaccine to the immunization schedule

for children. Pentacel is a combination vaccine of Diptheria,

Petrussis, Tetanus (DTap), HiB and Polio. It is the first DTaP-based

combination vaccine that also includes polio and HiB vaccine components.

<http://oascentral.zwire.com/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/www.poweronemedia.com/Co\

ntextWeb300X250.html/@Top?x>

[]

<http://bannerads.zwire.com/bannerads/redirect.cfm?ADLOCATION=4000 & PAG=461 & BRD=2\

737>

Click Here!

While similar five-in-one vaccines like Pediarix and Pediacel are

also available, controversy has arisen over the use of the Pentacel

vaccine, because the polio portion of this vaccine is grown on the

MRC-5 cell line - derived from human fetuses.

England's J.P s for the Medical Resource Council created this

cell line in 1966. It was derived from the fifth subject of the

study: the normal lung tissue of a 14-week-old male fetus who was

electively aborted by a 27-year-old woman. It parallels research

conducted by Leonard Hayflick, Ph. D., who developed the WI-38 cell

line in 1962 at Philadelphia's University of Pennsylvania Wistar

Institute. That cell line came from the 38th research subject - lung

tissue taken from an electively aborted fetus of almost three months

gestation from Sweden. WI-38 is used to manufacture vaccines for

Poliomyelitis, Rubella, Vermicelli, Mumps, Rabies, adenoviruses and

Hepatitis A.

Vaccines for shingles and the chicken pox also make use of aborted

fetal cells. Although the vaccines themselves do not contain cells or

tissues, they are grown on cells. For example, Hepatitis B is grown

on fungal yeast cells. And the polio vaccine, in addition to being

grown on aborted-fetal cells, is grown on monkey kidney cells.

Offit, chief of infectious diseases at The Children's Hospital

in Philadelphia, said the use of monkey kidney cells in the past to

grow the polio vaccine risked exposure to the Simian vacuolating

virus 40 (SV40). This virus has the potential to cause tumors and is

found in both monkeys and humans. SV40 virus concerns surfaced with

the live, oral polio vaccine, which no longer is used in the United States.

GlaxoKline makes Pediarix, one alternative to Pentacel, in which

the poliovirus is grown on monkey kidney cells. In this case, the

three strains of the inactivated poliovirus component of Pediarix are

individually grown in VERO cells, a continuous line of monkey kidney

cells. Since the poliovirus is inactivated and the vaccine is

ministered via shot, the risk of SV40 is eliminated.

Pediarix includes the same ingredients that Pentacel has except HiB.

Pediarix protects against Hepatitis B, a virus that Pentacel leaves

recipients vulnerable to. Consequently, Pentacel recipients need

separate shots for Hepatitis B, and Pediarix receivers need separate

shots of HiB.

Pediarix is a three-dose series with one shot at each of the two,

four and six-month immunization visits. Pentacel is a four-dose

series to be given at two, four, six and at 15-18 months of age.

Donna Cary, spokesperson for Sanofi Pasteur, said Pentacel's

advantage is it " provides an optimal fit for the current immunization

schedule " and " offers the greatest shot reduction of any combination

vaccine on the market. "

" With Pediarix, an extra shot of Hepatitis B is needed for those

infants who have received the birth-dose and, unlike Pentacel, there

is no reduction in the number of shots administered in the second

year of life because Pediarix is only licensed for a three-dose

series at two, four and six months of age, " she said.

While Pentacel offers a reduced number of shots for children in the

U.S., compared with Pediarix or Pediacel, a European vaccine

identical to Pentacel, which does not use aborted fetal cells.

Canadian Physicians for Life lobbied for this vaccine last year when

they were unable to find an available five-in-one option in Canada,

which they found morally acceptable. It is possible to create a

vaccine identical to Pentacel without any ethical controversies, and

Pediarix, currently available in the U.S., does so without using

fetal cell lines.

On the ethical issue of using aborted fetal cells to grow vaccines,

The Pontifical Academy for Life allows Catholics to receive such

vaccinations " with protest. "

Furton, ethicist and director of public relations at the

National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia said, " Yes, you

can use them for the time being (if there are no ethical

alternatives), but this practice must come to an end.

" The concern is that manufacturers will continue to use these cell

lines because they are established and plentiful, and it is expensive

to start new cell lines, " Mr. Furton said.

With time and money it is possible to create alternative cell lines

for various vaccines that use aborted fetal cells. Mr. Furton said an

additional " problematic connection " exists between using aborted

fetal cells and embryonic stem cell research. " The cultural mindset

in the scientific community is that it's okay to use aborted fetuses

for research purposes, " he said referencing the use of aborted fetal

cell lines in vaccines. This mindset leads to what he called an

unethical and increasing acceptance by the scientific community of

using embryonic stem cells for research.

At least one biotech company is looking to create vaccines without

resorting to the use of fetal cells.

AVM Biotechnology, established on January, is working to create what

in its view are ethical alternatives to controversial vaccines.

Theresa Deisher, Ph.D., research and development director at AVM,

said her company aims " to bring into the U.S. vaccines that are not

produced from aborted fetal cell lines. "

AVM is currently using rabbit cells to work on a vaccine for Rubella.

" We are moving as rapidly as we can, " Ms. Deisher said. She hopes

that the vaccine will be approved " in the next few years " and said

AVM is " definitely making progress. "

Maguire can be reached at emaguire@...

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

Vaccines - http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm Vaccine Dangers &

Childhood Disease & Homeopathy Email classes start again in September