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May 20, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"The Life and Death of a Vaccine"
Boston Globe (www.boston.com/globe) (05/18/02) P. A1; Smith, Stephen
The meteoric rise and equally rapid decline in demand for LYMErix, the first vaccine against Lyme disease, reveals a lot about people's attitudes toward vaccines. Every year, thousands of people contract Lyme disease, a debilitating disorder that causes fatigue and severe joint pain. In early 1999, GlaxoSmithKline introduced LYMErix, which instantly became popular. In 1999 alone, hundreds of thousands of Americans were immunized with the new vaccine, generating over $40 million in sales for GlaxoSmithKline. However, as early as July 1999, reports started to emerge that people were suffering severe side effects as a result of the vaccine. In particular, people vaccinated with LYMErix complained of suffering from memory loss, malaise, and aches and pains that resembled arthritis. People started to believe that the benefits of receiving the LYMErix vaccine were outweighed by the possible side effects, and demand for the vaccine collapsed. GlaxoSmithKline pulled the vaccine off the market a few months ago, but it now being sued by hundreds of people who are claiming the LYMErix vaccine caused them to develop painful illnesses.
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