Scientist verifies records on germ-warfare tests

[thedrifter]

Issue Date: February 02, 2004

Scientist verifies records on germ-warfare tests
Revelation could help plaintiffs in case against government

By Deborah Funk
Times staff writer

A former microbiologist involved in an extensive series of secret germ-warfare tests 30 to 40 years ago says the government kept extensive records — a revelation the Vietnam Veterans of America says backs its claim that officials have withheld medically relevant information on the program.
The information was revealed in a deposition taken in a lawsuit that about 20 veterans and the VVA have filed against former and current government officials claiming the tests were covered up and medical care to veterans was denied.

J. Clifton Spendlove, who was technical director of planning for the series of tests, code-named Project 112, verified unclassified government documents obtained by the plaintiffs. Some showed that records were inventoried at the Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, library and perhaps at Fort Detrick, Md., and that 75 to 200 copies were made.

Spendlove’s testimony confirms the existence of unclassified, medically relevant data that has been withheld from veterans, said Doug Rosinski, attorney for the plaintiffs.

Pentagon officials in June announced an end to their active investigation into Project 112, which took place on land and at sea from 1962 to 1973, and that all data relevant to veterans’ health has been released.

They declassified information at the request of the Department of Veterans Affairs after VA officials began hearing from veterans who said they were involved in the tests decades ago. Some tests used live germ- or chemical-warfare agents, but most used materials believed to be harmless at the time.

One of those simulants was bacillus globigii, or BG, used as a simulant for anthrax. An update on the tests by the Defense Department said the bacterial species are “common in the environment” but are “uncommon causes of disease.” But for people already in poor health, BG has been linked to infections, including in the ear, brain lining, urinary tract, blood and elsewhere.

Defense officials have said test participants were not “subjects” but rather “conductors” who should have been fully informed of the details of each test.

Test participants “were not in harm’s way in any way, in my judgment, ever,” Spendlove said in his Dec. 11 deposition.

He said planning documents were prepared for each test. He believed, but could not say for sure, that the information was stored at the library at Dugway.

Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said he is “not aware of any new documents or information” related to the tests.

In a written response to questions, Barb Goodno, spokeswoman for the Pentagon’s Deployment Health Support Directorate, said VA officials reported that all they need to process veterans’ claims are the agents, simulants, tracers and decontaminants used in the tests and whether they were known to cause disease. Defense officials have provided that data as part of their investigation, she said.

In his deposition, Spendlove said he had films made of “essentially every test,” as well as planning films.

Because of the fragile condition of the films, defense officials are converting them to another medium, after which they will be reviewed, Goodno said.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=0-MARINEPAPER-2574111.php


Sempers,

Roger
:marine:

[thedrifter]

Issue Date: February 02, 2004

DoD’s anti-germ efforts lag, medical panel says
Recommends new agency to oversee research

By Deborah Funk
Times staff writer

Development of vaccines and drugs to protect against germ warfare must become a “genuine priority” at the Pentagon if it wants to add new medical countermeasures to its doctor’s bag for biological defense, according to an Institute of Medicine report released Jan. 22.
Prospects for success are “dismal” if defense officials continue on their current path, the report said.

The institute suggests creating a new Defense Department agency, the Medical Biodefense Agency, to head research and development in this area.

“Maintaining the status quo in DoD only assures a long, costly, and perhaps fruitless wait for new vaccines and therapeutic products,” the committee wrote. “Successful development and licensure of new countermeasures to protect against present and future biological warfare threats require a substantial and sustained effort.”

According to the report, which was chartered by the Defense Department, poor organization and insufficient funding have hampered current efforts. Responsibility is split among different offices and agencies, with no single person in charge.

Defense officials have changed their biodefense vaccine production strategy three times since the early 1990s, and these and other reorganizations and strategy changes have wasted time and resources, the report stated.

Pentagon funding for medical countermeasures also falls short. Last year military funding in that area totaled $267 million. By comparison, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases had a budget of $1.7 billion to develop medical protections against bioterrorism.

The Pentagon’s “inadequate organization and funding” demonstrate that its leaders “lack an adequate grasp of the commitment, time, scientific expertise and financial resources required for success in developing vaccines and other pharmaceutical products,” the report said.

Defense Department officials said in a prepared statement that they are evaluating the report’s recommendations. “We generally agree with many of them,” officials said. “When we chartered the study last spring, we hoped it would provide further insights on how to improve our processes and programs.

“We have already taken a number of actions to consolidate and streamline our processes and oversight,” including setting up a single office to oversee all biodefense vaccination programs. “We are committed to doing what is required to ensure protection of the health and well being of our troops.”

The Defense Department also:

• Has consolidated all chemical-biological defense program requirements under one office within the Joint Staff.

• Is developing plans to incorporate Food and Drug Administration requirements processes into its biodefense acquisition guidance.

• Uses a series of expert consultants to regularly advise defense officials on scientific issues.

Under the Institute of Medicine proposal, a congressionally appointed panel would review these and other Defense Department efforts and provide progress updates to Congress. The report proposed that if defense officials fail to make “appropriate progress” within three years, all or part of the mission should be transferred to a different agency.

Years of warnings

For a decade, government officials repeatedly have said germ warfare is a threat to the nation’s military, the report noted. Defense officials have said they want vaccines to protect against a host of biological-warfare threats, and even now the Pentagon vaccinates hundreds of thousands of troops against anthrax and smallpox.

Despite this concern, only a few new drugs and no new vaccines have been developed or acquired since the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

“The development and licensure of new vaccines and drugs is a difficult, expensive and time-consuming process,” the report said. “Moreover, biodefense products pose special scientific, regulatory and ethical challenges because it is generally unacceptable to expose humans to biowarfare agents to establish the efficacy of those products. Accelerating the development and licensure of such products will require strong and creative scientific leadership and a sustained commitment of adequate financial and other resources.”

If defense officials and the nation’s leaders want to create a valuable program, they must start by making it a priority. Programs deemed high priorities by the president, lawmakers or agencies are more likely to get better funding, the report said.

Once committed, defense officials then would have to reorganize their efforts. Among other things, the program needs experienced leaders in biotechnology and expertise in drug and vaccine development. It also should be funded more robustly, the report states.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=0-MARINEPAPER-2579036.php


Sempers,

Roger
:marine: