The taintedblood Timeline  -  what really happened...

Dr John Petricciani, the director of the Division of Blood and Blood Products of the FDA, writes in The Lancet that:

"Infectious LAV/HTLV-III [HIV] is unlikely to be present in currently licensed heat-treated factor concentrates, and that the use of such factor concentrates should not result in additional cases of AIDS in persons with hemophilia."

Note: See the Find Related Entries link below to learn why this article was so misleading.

A 3rd case of seroconversion in an haemophiliac is associated with the use of Armour's H.T. Factorate.

In the final draft of a speech by the then CMO, Sir Donald Acheson to the PHLS in October 1985, we discover a certain overconfidence regarding his belief that no new cases of AIDS infection should occur in the future in the haemophiliac group...

Sir Donald Acheson, October 1985: "These data show that HTLV3 infection:

1. has increased in prevalence among homosexuals in London. Elsewhere it may also be increasing in prevalence but remains less common that [than?] in the capital;


2. It is prevalent among haemophiliacs, particularly sufferers from Type 'A' haemophilia. Fortunately however no new cases of infection should now occur in this group;


3. it has appeared, so far at low prevalence among female partners of haemophiliacs;


4. it remains relatively uncommon among drug abusers."

NOTE: We must point out that the CMO's comment was somewhat overconfident since that very same month, there was the third is a spate of cases of seroconversion in UK haemophiliacs associated with the use of an imported commercial concentrate; Armour's H.T. Factorate - and this was only 2 and a half months after the Deputy Chief Medical Officer (Dr E. Harris, DCMO) had expressly stated that:

"all commercial Factor VIII imported into this country is also heat treated. There would thus appear to be no longer any need to use un-heat-treated Factor VIII concentrate." (August 1985).

Apart from the complete underestimation of the ongoing risk to spouses, by November 1985, there is hearsay evidence that even more haemophiliac patients are seroconverting to become anti-HTLV III positive despite having received heat-treated Factor VIII. Even as late as February 1986, we still have a new HIV infection in a UK haemophiliac caused by Armour batch A28306.

In a Guardian article of Tuesday, 15th April, 1986, we learn that 2 months earlier, Dr Donald Acheson, Chief Medical Officer, dismissed evidence of patients being infected by heat-treated Factor 8:

"Doctors in Amsterdam reported that a 27-year-old man had been infected after being given supplies of the blood clotting agent which had been heat-treated to kill the virus..."

"Senior Department of Health and Social Security officials were studying the report yesterday."

"Two months ago the Government's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Donald Acheson, dismissed evidence that Dutch patients had been infected by heat-treated Factor 8, and assured British haemophiliacs that US supplies were safe."

Legal Note: There was little question, in this case, of a clear causal relationship between the conduct of a US blood product manufacturer and the result of this commercial product on the patient - since the Amsterdam-based physicians had reported in the Lancet that their patient had been given exclusively heat-treated Factor VIII originating from the United States.

NOTE: There were grave consequences to the CMO's dismissal of the Dutch evidence. Only a week later, (on 21 February 1986) Armour batch A28306 is found to be the likely cause of HIV infection in a UK haemophiliac. By late September '86, Armour's H.T. Factorate is again reported to have led to seroconversions in another two haemophiliacs in the UK.

Armour batch A28306 is the likely cause of HIV infection in a UK haemophiliac on 21 February 1986.

(The Armour product was heat treated at 60° Centigrade for 30 hours and was made from plasma of untested donors. This product is associated with up to 12 cases of late seroconversion.)

Background: Only a week or so earlier, the Government's CMO, (Chief Medical Officer), Dr Donald Acheson, dismissed evidence that Dutch patients had been infected by heat-treated Factor 8, and assured British haemophiliacs that US supplies were safe.

NOTE: It should be noted that the Amsterdam-based physicians had reported in the Lancet that their patient had been given exclusively heat-treated Factor VIII originating from the United States.

The untested plasma that Armour batch A28306 originates from was made into similar types of Armour product which infect haemophiliac boys in the Birmingham area.

DHSS questions Armour about the efficacy of its heat-treatment methods.

Departmental staff meet with Armour officials to review the data on inactivating viruses.

Another 2 seroconversion cases are reported in persons with haemophilia in the UK who have been treated with Armour's H.T. Factorate.

DHSS staff meet again with Armour officials. At this meeting, Armour agrees to voluntarily withdraw all H.T. Factorate from the U.K. market.

The company also agrees to relinquish its product licences for all factor VIII concentrate products.

Armour voluntarily withdraws heat-treated factor VIII which is suspected of causing seroconversion in Canadian hemophiliacs.

The request from Armour for an indemnity from BTSB is discussed at a BTSB Board Meeting. The CEO explains that this request has very serious implications for the Board. The production of factor VIII will cease on 31st December 1988, after which the Board will be faced with a choice of Monoclate or pasteurised product. Both products have implications on the goal of self-sufficiency.

Product Liability Acts are about to become law.