Flu Vaccine + Narcolepsy
Boy wins £120,000 damages for narcolepsy caused by swine flu vaccine
Ruling comes after government claimed illness was not serious enough to merit payment, and opens door for up to 100 families to seek compensation
A 12-year-old boy has been awarded £120,000 by a court that agreed he had been left severely disabled by narcolepsy triggered by the swine flu vaccine, following a three-year battle in which the government had claimed that his illness was not serious enough to merit payment.
The ruling is expected to lead to as many as 100 other families of people affected by the sleeping disorder after receiving the vaccine bringing fresh compensation claims, in a dispute where the government’s initial hostility was described by the family’s legal team as offensive.
“They felt quite insulted to have their condition basically dismissed as something quite trivial. They are incredibly needy. Some have lost their jobs, dropped out of university or seen their marriages break down as a result [of narcolepsy],” said Peter Todd, the solicitor for the family of the 12-year-old, a partner with the London firm Hodge Jones & Allen.
The youngster, whose parents have asked he remain anonymous, has become disruptive at school due to extreme tiredness brought about by the illness, triggered after he took the vaccine in 2009, the court heard. He has only one friend because the sleep disorder makes socialising difficult.
The upper tribunal court that heard the case, also heard that the boy is unable to shower unattended or take a bus alone and needs to take several naps during the school day. He is unlikely to be allowed to drive as an adult.
To say that it’s not impactful just makes me mad. Narcolepsy affects everything that Ciara does and always will do.
Anthony O’MahonyOthers expected to bring fresh claims against the government, include the parents of a 17-year-old whose life was permanently altered by the condition, and an eight-year-old whose family relocated to California to seek better medical care.
The narcolepsy was triggered by the Pandemrix vaccine, made byGlaxoSmithKline, was given to around 6 million people in Britain as part of a national vaccination scheme rolled out during the 2009-10 swine flu pandemic. While the swine flu outbreak never reached the proportions that had been feared, scientists now believe the vaccine caused narcolepsy in a small number of patients.
The government now acknowledges the link, but had previously argued those affected by narcolepsy do not meet the threshold for the Department for Work and Pensions’s compensation scheme, which automatically awards a £120,000 lump sum to anyone with “severe” and permanent disabilities as a result of certain vaccines.
Anthony O’Mahony, whose 17-year-old daughter, Ciara, developed narcolepsy after being given the vaccine in 2009, said that the government’s suggestion that illness was not “severe” was offensive to victims. “To say that it’s not that impactful just makes me mad,” he said. “Narcolepsy affects everything that Ciara does and always will do.”
His daughter received the vaccine in 2009 and in the months afterwards began showing symptoms of the sleep disorder, such as lethargy and sudden loss of muscle control. Twice, her mother has found her asleep in the bath and on several occasions she has fallen suddenly after losing consciousness.
The family only became aware of the link with Pandemrix last year and O’Mahony stresses he is not “anti-vaccine”, despite what happened. “There’s always going to be someone who has some kind of reaction to vaccines,” he said. “We just want an acknowledgement.”
Ciara is one of 74 others represented by Todd who are seeking to challenge similar compensation rejections by the DWP, and the group is pursuing a separate civil action against GSK. The costs of any financial settlement are likely to be met by the taxpayer because of an indemnity agreed signed between the government and the pharmaceutical giant.
Narcolepsy is a rare but serious neurological disorder that affects about 31,000 people in Britain. It can cause sleep disruptions, including night terrors and hallucinations, and extreme drowsiness during the daytime. Some narcoleptics also suffer from cataplexy, where a sudden burst of emotion such as shock or happiness causes total loss of muscle control.
In 2013, a major study by the Health Protection Agency found that around one in every 55,000 swine flu jabs led to narcolepsy, but the exact biological causes for the link are not clear.
To qualify for the DWP’s Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, a victim has to be classed as at least 60% disabled, which is described as equivalent to the loss of one hand.
Matt O’Neill, chairman of the charity Narcolepsy UK, said: “The problem is that it is often hidden condition, but there are so many things that people with narcolepsy can’t do that you would be able to do with a physical disability. To suggest that narcolepsy is not severe is absolutely ridiculous.”
The government now has 21 days to appeal the ruling. A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said the government would not comment on individual cases, adding: “The Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme provides support in very rare cases where someone has become severely disabled as a result of immunisation against certain diseases. Decisions on claims take into account the individual circumstances of each case and the latest available medical evidence.”
A GSK spokesman said: “We are actively researching the observed association between Pandemrix and narcolepsy and the interaction this vaccine might have had with other risk factors in those affected.
“We’re also continuing to support ongoing work from other experts and organisations investigating reported cases of this condition and we hope these efforts will enable us to provide more answers in the future. We take the safety of patients who entrust their health in our vaccines and medicines very seriously.”
Source : The Guardian (June 2015)
Brain-Damaged UK Victims of Swine Flu Vaccine to Get £60 Million Compensation
Patients who suffered brain damage as a result of taking a swine flu vaccine are to receive multi-million-pound payouts from the UK government.
The government is expected to receive a bill of approximately £60 million, with each of the 60 victims expected to receive about £1 million each.
Peter Todd, a lawyer who represented many of the claimants, told the Sunday Times: "There has never been a case like this before. The victims of this vaccine have an incurable and lifelong condition and will require extensive medication."
Following the swine flu outbreak of 2009, about 60 million people, most of them children, received the vaccine.
It was subsequently revealed that the vaccine, Pandemrix, can cause narcolepsy and cataplexy in about one in 16,000 people, and many more are expected to come forward with the symptoms.
Across Europe, more than 800 children are so far known to have been made ill by the vaccine.
Narcolepsy affects a person's sleeping cycle, leaving them unable to sleep for more than 90 minutes at a time, and causing them to fall unconscious during the day. The condition damages mental function and memory, and can lead to hallucinations and mental illness.
Cataplexy causes a person to lose consciousness when they are experiencing heightened emotion, including when they are laughing.
The Pandemrix vaccine was manufactured by pharmaceuticals giant Glaxo Smith Kline, which refused to supply governments unless it was indemnified against any claim for damage caused. The company will pay the bill, and claim the money back from the government.
"There's no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Pandemrix increased the occurrence of narcolepsy onset in children in some countries - and probably in most countries," Emmanuelle Mignot, a specialist in sleep disorder at Stanford University in the United States told Reuters.
Mignot has been paid by GSK to research the effects of the drug.
Among those affected are NHS medical staff, many of whom are now unable to do their jobs because of the symptoms brought on by the vaccine. They will be suing the government for millions in lost earnings.
However, the vast majority of patients affected - around 80% - are children.
Among them is Josh Hadfield, 8, from Somerset, who is on anti-narcolepsy drugs costing £15,000 a year to help him stay awake during the school day.
"If you make him laugh, he collapses. His memory is shot. There is no cure. He says he wishes he hadn't been born. I feel incredibly guilty about letting him have the vaccine," said his mother Caroline Hadfield, 43.
Despite a 2011 warning from the European Medicines Agency against using the vaccine on those under 20 and a study indicating a 13-fold heightened risk of narcolepsy in vaccinated children, GSK has refused to acknowledge a link.
"Further research is needed to confirm what role the vaccine may have played in the development of narcolepsy in those affected," the company said in a statement.
Source : IBTimes
WHO calls for probe of GlaxoSmithKline's swine flu vaccine after reports of narcolepsy
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for further investigations after more than 12 countries reported cases of narcolepsy in children and adolescents using GlaxoSmithKline's swine flu vaccine.
Narcolepsy is a rare sleep disorder that causes a person to fall asleep suddenly and unexpectedly.
The WHO statement on Tuesday follows a study in Finland that suggested children were nine times more likely to suffer the disorder after taking Pandemrix.
The vaccine remains fully available and the WHO said an increased risk of narcolepsy has never been previously connected to a vaccine. It said the cases were more frequent in Sweden, Finland and Iceland and the issue does not appear to be a "worldwide phenomenon".
A GSK spokesman said: "GSK is reviewing the Finnish report and believes it would be premature to draw any conclusions."
Investors appeared unconcerned, with GSK shares rising 10p to £11.99
Source : The Telegraph (February 2011)
Link to Source
Finnish health authorities see link between Pandemrix and narcolepsy
Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare says there is a link between GlaxoSmithKline's Pandemrix flu vaccine and a spike in narcolepsy cases. Narcolepsy is a disorder that causes a person to fall asleep suddenly and unexpectedly.
"Among those 4-19 years of age who received Pandemrix-vaccine had a manifold increased risk of falling ill with narcolepsy during the eight months following vaccination in comparison to those unvaccinated in the same age group," the health body says in a release. "Based on the evaluation done so far, the National Narcolepsy Task Force finds it probable that Pandemrix-vaccination contributed to the observed increase in incidence of narcolepsy among those 4-19 years of age."
In addition to Finland, an increase in narcolepsy cases was observed in Sweden and Iceland. These preliminary results will be confirmed in Finland in coming months. The Finnish Pharmaceutical Insurance Pool already has said compensation would not be paid on the basis of the preliminary report, the Helsinki Times notes. The body, which is made up of three insurance companies, said 15 claims involving Pandemrix and narcolepsy had been filed.
The World Health Organization was quick to react to the news. "WHO agrees that further investigation is required concerning narcolepsy and Pandemrix vaccine," the World Health Organization said in a statement.
"This (Finnish) investigation is independent of a broader ongoing European Medicines Agency (EMA) investigation initiated in 2010," GSK says in an emailed statement to Reuters. "GSK is reviewing the report and believes it would be premature to draw any conclusions on a potential association between Pandemrix and narcolepsy until this European investigation has been completed."
The final report from the National Narcolepsy Task Force will be released by the end of August.
Late last summer, Sweden's Medical Products Agency announced it was investigating of cases of narcolepsy after vaccination with Pandemrix. The MPA said there were 12 cases of narcolepsy reported from healthcare professionals in Sweden with a suspected relationship to vaccination with Pandemrix.
- read the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare's release
- see the Reuters report
- get more from the Helsinki Times
- check out the story from the United Nations
Source: Fiercevaccines.com
Link to Source
Ruling comes after government claimed illness was not serious enough to merit payment, and opens door for up to 100 families to seek compensation
A 12-year-old boy has been awarded £120,000 by a court that agreed he had been left severely disabled by narcolepsy triggered by the swine flu vaccine, following a three-year battle in which the government had claimed that his illness was not serious enough to merit payment.
The ruling is expected to lead to as many as 100 other families of people affected by the sleeping disorder after receiving the vaccine bringing fresh compensation claims, in a dispute where the government’s initial hostility was described by the family’s legal team as offensive.
“They felt quite insulted to have their condition basically dismissed as something quite trivial. They are incredibly needy. Some have lost their jobs, dropped out of university or seen their marriages break down as a result [of narcolepsy],” said Peter Todd, the solicitor for the family of the 12-year-old, a partner with the London firm Hodge Jones & Allen.
The youngster, whose parents have asked he remain anonymous, has become disruptive at school due to extreme tiredness brought about by the illness, triggered after he took the vaccine in 2009, the court heard. He has only one friend because the sleep disorder makes socialising difficult.
The upper tribunal court that heard the case, also heard that the boy is unable to shower unattended or take a bus alone and needs to take several naps during the school day. He is unlikely to be allowed to drive as an adult.
To say that it’s not impactful just makes me mad. Narcolepsy affects everything that Ciara does and always will do.
Anthony O’MahonyOthers expected to bring fresh claims against the government, include the parents of a 17-year-old whose life was permanently altered by the condition, and an eight-year-old whose family relocated to California to seek better medical care.
The narcolepsy was triggered by the Pandemrix vaccine, made byGlaxoSmithKline, was given to around 6 million people in Britain as part of a national vaccination scheme rolled out during the 2009-10 swine flu pandemic. While the swine flu outbreak never reached the proportions that had been feared, scientists now believe the vaccine caused narcolepsy in a small number of patients.
The government now acknowledges the link, but had previously argued those affected by narcolepsy do not meet the threshold for the Department for Work and Pensions’s compensation scheme, which automatically awards a £120,000 lump sum to anyone with “severe” and permanent disabilities as a result of certain vaccines.
Anthony O’Mahony, whose 17-year-old daughter, Ciara, developed narcolepsy after being given the vaccine in 2009, said that the government’s suggestion that illness was not “severe” was offensive to victims. “To say that it’s not that impactful just makes me mad,” he said. “Narcolepsy affects everything that Ciara does and always will do.”
His daughter received the vaccine in 2009 and in the months afterwards began showing symptoms of the sleep disorder, such as lethargy and sudden loss of muscle control. Twice, her mother has found her asleep in the bath and on several occasions she has fallen suddenly after losing consciousness.
The family only became aware of the link with Pandemrix last year and O’Mahony stresses he is not “anti-vaccine”, despite what happened. “There’s always going to be someone who has some kind of reaction to vaccines,” he said. “We just want an acknowledgement.”
Ciara is one of 74 others represented by Todd who are seeking to challenge similar compensation rejections by the DWP, and the group is pursuing a separate civil action against GSK. The costs of any financial settlement are likely to be met by the taxpayer because of an indemnity agreed signed between the government and the pharmaceutical giant.
Narcolepsy is a rare but serious neurological disorder that affects about 31,000 people in Britain. It can cause sleep disruptions, including night terrors and hallucinations, and extreme drowsiness during the daytime. Some narcoleptics also suffer from cataplexy, where a sudden burst of emotion such as shock or happiness causes total loss of muscle control.
In 2013, a major study by the Health Protection Agency found that around one in every 55,000 swine flu jabs led to narcolepsy, but the exact biological causes for the link are not clear.
To qualify for the DWP’s Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, a victim has to be classed as at least 60% disabled, which is described as equivalent to the loss of one hand.
Matt O’Neill, chairman of the charity Narcolepsy UK, said: “The problem is that it is often hidden condition, but there are so many things that people with narcolepsy can’t do that you would be able to do with a physical disability. To suggest that narcolepsy is not severe is absolutely ridiculous.”
The government now has 21 days to appeal the ruling. A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said the government would not comment on individual cases, adding: “The Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme provides support in very rare cases where someone has become severely disabled as a result of immunisation against certain diseases. Decisions on claims take into account the individual circumstances of each case and the latest available medical evidence.”
A GSK spokesman said: “We are actively researching the observed association between Pandemrix and narcolepsy and the interaction this vaccine might have had with other risk factors in those affected.
“We’re also continuing to support ongoing work from other experts and organisations investigating reported cases of this condition and we hope these efforts will enable us to provide more answers in the future. We take the safety of patients who entrust their health in our vaccines and medicines very seriously.”
Source : The Guardian (June 2015)
Brain-Damaged UK Victims of Swine Flu Vaccine to Get £60 Million Compensation
Patients who suffered brain damage as a result of taking a swine flu vaccine are to receive multi-million-pound payouts from the UK government.
The government is expected to receive a bill of approximately £60 million, with each of the 60 victims expected to receive about £1 million each.
Peter Todd, a lawyer who represented many of the claimants, told the Sunday Times: "There has never been a case like this before. The victims of this vaccine have an incurable and lifelong condition and will require extensive medication."
Following the swine flu outbreak of 2009, about 60 million people, most of them children, received the vaccine.
It was subsequently revealed that the vaccine, Pandemrix, can cause narcolepsy and cataplexy in about one in 16,000 people, and many more are expected to come forward with the symptoms.
Across Europe, more than 800 children are so far known to have been made ill by the vaccine.
Narcolepsy affects a person's sleeping cycle, leaving them unable to sleep for more than 90 minutes at a time, and causing them to fall unconscious during the day. The condition damages mental function and memory, and can lead to hallucinations and mental illness.
Cataplexy causes a person to lose consciousness when they are experiencing heightened emotion, including when they are laughing.
The Pandemrix vaccine was manufactured by pharmaceuticals giant Glaxo Smith Kline, which refused to supply governments unless it was indemnified against any claim for damage caused. The company will pay the bill, and claim the money back from the government.
"There's no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Pandemrix increased the occurrence of narcolepsy onset in children in some countries - and probably in most countries," Emmanuelle Mignot, a specialist in sleep disorder at Stanford University in the United States told Reuters.
Mignot has been paid by GSK to research the effects of the drug.
Among those affected are NHS medical staff, many of whom are now unable to do their jobs because of the symptoms brought on by the vaccine. They will be suing the government for millions in lost earnings.
However, the vast majority of patients affected - around 80% - are children.
Among them is Josh Hadfield, 8, from Somerset, who is on anti-narcolepsy drugs costing £15,000 a year to help him stay awake during the school day.
"If you make him laugh, he collapses. His memory is shot. There is no cure. He says he wishes he hadn't been born. I feel incredibly guilty about letting him have the vaccine," said his mother Caroline Hadfield, 43.
Despite a 2011 warning from the European Medicines Agency against using the vaccine on those under 20 and a study indicating a 13-fold heightened risk of narcolepsy in vaccinated children, GSK has refused to acknowledge a link.
"Further research is needed to confirm what role the vaccine may have played in the development of narcolepsy in those affected," the company said in a statement.
Source : IBTimes
WHO calls for probe of GlaxoSmithKline's swine flu vaccine after reports of narcolepsy
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for further investigations after more than 12 countries reported cases of narcolepsy in children and adolescents using GlaxoSmithKline's swine flu vaccine.
Narcolepsy is a rare sleep disorder that causes a person to fall asleep suddenly and unexpectedly.
The WHO statement on Tuesday follows a study in Finland that suggested children were nine times more likely to suffer the disorder after taking Pandemrix.
The vaccine remains fully available and the WHO said an increased risk of narcolepsy has never been previously connected to a vaccine. It said the cases were more frequent in Sweden, Finland and Iceland and the issue does not appear to be a "worldwide phenomenon".
A GSK spokesman said: "GSK is reviewing the Finnish report and believes it would be premature to draw any conclusions."
Investors appeared unconcerned, with GSK shares rising 10p to £11.99
Source : The Telegraph (February 2011)
Link to Source
Finnish health authorities see link between Pandemrix and narcolepsy
Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare says there is a link between GlaxoSmithKline's Pandemrix flu vaccine and a spike in narcolepsy cases. Narcolepsy is a disorder that causes a person to fall asleep suddenly and unexpectedly.
"Among those 4-19 years of age who received Pandemrix-vaccine had a manifold increased risk of falling ill with narcolepsy during the eight months following vaccination in comparison to those unvaccinated in the same age group," the health body says in a release. "Based on the evaluation done so far, the National Narcolepsy Task Force finds it probable that Pandemrix-vaccination contributed to the observed increase in incidence of narcolepsy among those 4-19 years of age."
In addition to Finland, an increase in narcolepsy cases was observed in Sweden and Iceland. These preliminary results will be confirmed in Finland in coming months. The Finnish Pharmaceutical Insurance Pool already has said compensation would not be paid on the basis of the preliminary report, the Helsinki Times notes. The body, which is made up of three insurance companies, said 15 claims involving Pandemrix and narcolepsy had been filed.
The World Health Organization was quick to react to the news. "WHO agrees that further investigation is required concerning narcolepsy and Pandemrix vaccine," the World Health Organization said in a statement.
"This (Finnish) investigation is independent of a broader ongoing European Medicines Agency (EMA) investigation initiated in 2010," GSK says in an emailed statement to Reuters. "GSK is reviewing the report and believes it would be premature to draw any conclusions on a potential association between Pandemrix and narcolepsy until this European investigation has been completed."
The final report from the National Narcolepsy Task Force will be released by the end of August.
Late last summer, Sweden's Medical Products Agency announced it was investigating of cases of narcolepsy after vaccination with Pandemrix. The MPA said there were 12 cases of narcolepsy reported from healthcare professionals in Sweden with a suspected relationship to vaccination with Pandemrix.
- read the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare's release
- see the Reuters report
- get more from the Helsinki Times
- check out the story from the United Nations
Source: Fiercevaccines.com
Link to Source