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Published 11/7/2001
Opponents plan BioPort protest
Anthrax vaccine has gotten more attention since terrorist attacks

By Tim Martin
Lansing State Journal

Opponents of the U.S. military's anthrax vaccination program will rally Sunday in Lansing.

They'll say the drug is unsafe. They'll say forcing military personnel to take the vaccine made by Lansing's BioPort Corp. is illegal and ill-advised.

And they'll be protesting a vaccine that has become far more intriguing to the general public as anthrax infections and related scares spread across the nation. BioPort's program - possibly in jeopardy before the terrorist scares - soon could be revived and may even expand.

"The climate has changed significantly,'' said Robin Hawes, a protest organizer from Battle Creek. "But we've got a lot of support. We're not opposed to a vaccine that would be safe and effective against anthrax, but we are opposed to what's coming out of BioPort.''

Opponents of the vaccination program had scheduled a protest for mid-September. But it was postponed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and at the Pentagon.

Sunday's anti-BioPort rally will be held at about 12:15 p.m. at the Capitol, after a dedication ceremony for the Vietnam War Memorial.

The climate surrounding BioPort - while still controversial - has changed since anthrax has been sent through the nation's mail, infecting up to 22 people.

BioPort's 220 workers feel they're part of the solution toward making the nation safer, spokeswoman Kim Brennen Root said.

The company has been unable to sell its anthrax vaccine since renovating labs in 1998. BioPort has failed Food and Drug Administration inspections of its renovated labs twice in the past few years.

But now federal officials expect BioPort's labs could be approved within a few months. FDA officials say they're processing BioPort's latest application as quickly as they can "while ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.'' An inspection is scheduled for mid-December.

The program seemed to be in jeopardy in August. The Pentagon reviewed BioPort's contract, upset that it had paid $126 million for new vaccine it still has not received because of production problems.

Since then, political heavyweights including Republican Gov. John Engler and Democratic U.S. Sen. Carl Levin of Detroit have written letters to President Bush appointees encouraging them to save the program. Surgeon General David Satcher has even suggested making vaccine available to postal workers and other civilians who may be at high risk for anthrax exposure.

BioPort has fielded hundreds of inquiries from the public about the vaccine's availability.

But debate still rages about whether the vaccine is safe -- and that's what fuels Sunday's protest.

More than 500,000 military personnel have received at least one dose of the six-shot regimen. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA have said the anthrax vaccine does not have any more side effects than other vaccines.

But the General Accounting Office - the investigative wing of Congress - says complaints about the vaccine are underreported. Last month, the GAO said changes were made in the vaccine's manufacturing process in the early 1990s without the FDA's knowledge. The labs were owned then by the state of Michigan.

At least 400 military personnel have quit the service or faced discipline for refusing to take the vaccine. At least one lawsuit has been filed claiming the vaccine contributed to a death.

Hawes, a former Michigan Air National Guard member, suffers chronic fatigue and other neurological illnesses since taking the vaccine. The 38-year-old takes seven medicines.

Opponents say the program should be stopped until safer drugs are developed, or that the vaccine should at least be given on a voluntary basis.

BioPort stands by its product.

"There is clear recognition anthrax is a deadly disease, and there is one vaccine to fight it,'' Brennen Root said. "We are working night and day to get the approval needed to supply it.''

Contact Tim Martin at 377-1061 or tmartin@lsj.com.

Published 11/7/2001

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.