Gore, Bush vague on anthrax vaccine

Program's foes hope change will come with new president

By Tim Martin and A.J. Evenson

Lansing State Journal

October 9, 2000

Opponents of the military's anthrax vaccination policy hope the presidential election will signal a new direction for the controversial program - one that could make taking the Lansing-made vaccine voluntary.

George W. Bush and Al Gore say the military's anthrax vaccination program should be shaped with the safety and health concerns of U.S. troops in mind. But neither candidate's campaign has revealed a detailed stance.

Opponents of the vaccine, made solely by Lansing's BioPort Corp., say a new president and the resulting appointment of a new secretary of defense will give them an opportunity to change the program.

Vaccinations were made mandatory for all 2.4 million U.S. troops in 1997. Some critics want to eliminate the program, while others seek to give military personnel the option to refuse the vaccine.

"We look at the change in administration, particularly with the secretary of defense, as a possibility for a more objective analysis of the vaccine's safety and effectiveness," said Air Force Col. John Richardson of North Carolina.

The winner of the Nov. 7 election could have a strong influence on the future of the anthrax program, criticized in Congress for financial and safety concerns.

President Clinton and Defense Secretary William Cohen consider the vaccine an important defense for troops against a deadly biological weapon possessed by Iraq and up to 10 other nations.

"Gov. Bush believes we need to listen very closely to the concerns of our men and women in uniform," said Bob Hopkins, a campaign spokesman for the Texas governor and Republican candidate. "Any policy will need to consider those concerns, and be based on sound science. It requires careful consideration."

The Gore campaign has a similar theme.

"It's important our American service men and women are protected from the threat of anthrax if they are exposed to it, said Kim Rubey, a campaign spokeswoman for the vice president and Democratic candidate from Tennessee.

"Nevertheless, we need to carefully monitor the program on an ongoing basis to ensure the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks."

The military, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and BioPort, which employs 210 workers in Lansing, maintain the vaccine has a 30-year record of safety.

Government records indicate that side effects from the six-dose anthrax vaccine aren't much different than reactions to vaccines in general.

Military personnel have reported 1,152 adverse reactions out of nearly 2 million doses given to 487,000 people. Ten cases requiring hospitalization - all involving allergic reactions - have been confirmed by the military. All 10 people recovered.

But more than 400 military personnel, mostly reservists, have refused to take the vaccine because of health concerns.

David Ponder, a Navy officer stationed in Japan, faces a possible court-martial for refusing to take the vaccine.

"I do not believe the shot is lawful," he said last week during a Congressional hearing. "I do not believe the shot is safe. Everything I've learned about it makes me happier I refused to take the shot."

Those concerns won't be helped by last month's release of an autopsy report suggesting the anthrax vaccine might have contributed to the heart-related death of a BioPort employee from Ionia in July.

The Pentagon, FDA, BioPort and the Mayo Clinic are among the groups investigating to determine whether the 11 doses of the vaccine Richard Dunn took contributed to the heart problem that caused his death.

November's election, during which a new commander in chief will be elected, could have more immediate impact on the program's future.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the candidates' plans for the program. Officials say the program is based on a lethal and growing threat to U.S. troops, and that the Defense Department has a responsibility to protect them.

But the program has come under fire for the safety concerns and for BioPort's inability to make the vaccine.

The Pentagon has given contracts worth at least $50 million to BioPort since 1998, but the company has yet to make any vaccine. BioPort is waiting for FDA approval of renovated labs to make the drug, a process begun in August 1999.

BioPort has relied on anthrax made by the state, the lab's former owner, while it waits for FDA approval. Vaccine supplies have run so low the Pentagon is inoculating only high-risk troops - those likely headed to the Persian Gulf. But the military wants to resume mandatory shots for all military personnel as soon as possible.

The Pentagon is searching for a second source of the vaccine as a safety net in case BioPort fails.

But as BioPort struggles and safety questions persist, support in Congress might be eroding. The House Committee on Government Reform held hearings last week on the subject, and will again this week.

"This issue is not going to go away," said the committee's chairman, Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind. "We, as a Congress, must continue to address this."

U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., said if he is re-elected he will ask a new secretary of defense to stop the program. Earlier this year, at least 35 members of Congress asked Cohen to stop the program.

"In a very sad way, it's become a comedy of errors," Jones said.

Those involved in the issue are waiting for the presidential candidates to announce a more solid stance on the program.

"It would determine a lot of votes from the military and their families," said Meryl Nass, a Maine doctor who has studied anthrax vaccine for a decade and opposes the program.

Contact Tim Martin at 377-1061 or tmartin@lsj.com or A.J. Evenson at 377-1015 or aevenson@lsj.com.