Federal Members of Advisory Committee Block Vaccine-Autism Research, Defy Wishes...

Federal Members of Advisory Committee Block Vaccine-Autism Research, Defy
Wishes of Its Own Scientists, Autism Community, and Congress

SafeMinds Withdraws Support for Autism Research Strategic Plan, Asks Daschle
to Investigate.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a highly unusual departure
from procedure, government representatives to the Federal Interagency Autism
Advisory Committee (IACC) voted this week against conducting studies on
vaccine-autism research despite approval of the same studies at their prior
meeting. The research was supported by numerous autism organizations and
requested by IACC's scientific work groups and Congress. The maneuver to
re-vote on the vaccine-autism studies was initiated by the IACC's
representative from the CDC and pushed through by the IACC Chair, Dr. Tom
Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health of NIH.

Unlike most Federal advisory committees, the IACC is dominated by government
representatives occupying 12 of the 18 seats. Of the 6 public members, 5 voted
to retain the vaccine research at the meeting. The lone dissenting public
member resigned from her organization, Autism Speaks, the night before the
meeting. Autism Speaks has issued a statement condemning her vote.

The CDC, part of HHS along with NIH, has been criticized by parents citing
failure to uphold vaccine safety. In a surprising moment of candor, Dr. Insel
cited HHS conflicts of interests on vaccine-autism research due to the over
5,000 autism lawsuits pending against HHS. His comment supports the autism
community's contention that those in charge of promoting vaccine use while
assuring safety are fundamentally conflicted and should not investigate
themselves.

IACC Member and SafeMinds Vice-President Lyn Redwood stated, "Revisiting
objectives already approved did not appear on the meeting's agenda." She
added, "Advocacy groups and legislators have been marginalized in this
process."

Senators Enzi, Dodd, Kennedy and Santorum, as well as Representatives Barton
and Smith made statements which are part of the Combating Autism Act of 2006
legislative history that research on vaccines and their components and autism
should be implemented by the IACC.

Due to the IACC's actions, SafeMinds has withdrawn its support of the IACC
Strategic Plan for Autism Research and requests that incoming HHS Secretary
Daschle investigate the IACC's action and reconstitute the committee,
including removal of NIMH as its lead agency.

SafeMinds is a private nonprofit organization that investigates and raises
awareness of the risks to children of exposure to mercury from the environment
and medical products, including thimerosal in vaccines.

SOURCE SafeMinds

Theresa Wrangham of SafeMinds, +1-404-934-0777