The 2000 Simpsonwood CDC conference (officially entitled Scientific Review of Vaccine Safety Datalink Information) was a meeting convened in June, 2000, by the Centers for Disease Control, held at the Simpsonwood [1] Methodist retreat and conference center in Norcross, Atlanta, Georgia. Events at the session included a presentation, reviewing data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink, by Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, and a comment on the biologic plausibility and consistency of a possible link between thimerosal and autism from Dr. Loren Koller. In addition to specialists involved in vaccine research, approximately half a dozen public health organisations and pharmaceutical interests were represented, as well as eleven consultants to the CDC, a rapporteur (Dr. Paul Stehr-Green), and an epidemiologist, Dr. Phil Rhodes, who was to provide a half hour summary review of the proceedings at the end of the second day. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Shortcut: WP:NPOVD Articles that have been linked to this page are the subject of an NPOV dispute (NPOV stands for Neutral Point Of View; see below). ... from http://www. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta is recognized as the lead United States agency for protecting the public health and safety of people by providing credible information to enhance health decisions, and promoting health through strong partnerships with state health departments and other organizations. ... The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... There are at least two places named Norcross in the U.S.: Norcross, Georgia, a suburb in metro Atlanta Norcross, Minnesota This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Nickname: Location in Fulton County and the state of Georgia Coordinates: , Country State Counties Fulton, DeKalb Government  - Mayor Shirley Franklin (D) Area  - City  132. ... The Vaccine Safety Datalink Project (VSD) was established, in 1990, by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the study of adverse side effects of vaccines. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Autism is a brain development disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior, all exhibited before a child is three years old. ... A vaccine is an antigenic preparation used to establish immunity to a disease. ... Rapporteur (derived from French) is used in international and European legal and political contexts to refer to a person appointed by a deliberative body to investigate an issue or a situation, and report back to that body. ... Epidemiology (Greek epi = upon, among; demos = people, district; logos = word, discourse), defined literally, is the study of epidemics in humans. ...

Discussion of Dr. Verstraeten's vaccine research

The Simpsonwood conference was chaired by Dr. Dick Johnston, who mentioned early in the proceedings that, "There is very limited pharmacokinetic data concerning ethylmercury. There is very limited data on its blood levels. There is no data on its excretion. It is recognized to both cross placenta and the blood-brain barrier. The data on its toxicity is sparse. It is primarily recognized as a cause of hypersensitivity. Acutely, it can cause neurologic and renal toxicity, including death from overdose."[2] The conference attendees were then apprised over the next two days about the state of research in these areas. Richard Frederick Johnston (April 6, 1863 in Kingston, New York; died April 4, 1934 in Detroit, Michigan) was a 19th century center fielder in Major League Baseball. ... Ethylmercury (sometimes ethyl mercury) is a cation that forms organomercury compounds such as ethylmercury chloride and ethylmercury urea. ... Human blood smear: a - erythrocytes; b - neutrophil; c - eosinophil; d - lymphocyte. ... The placenta is an ephemeral (temporary) organ present in female placental vertebrates during gestation (pregnancy), but a placenta has evolved independently also in other animals as well, for instance scorpions and velvet worms. ... The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a membranic structure that acts primarily to protect the brain from chemicals in the blood, while still allowing essential metabolic function. ...

In 1997, the Congress of the United States passed a resolution requiring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review mercury in drugs and biologics. The Simpsonwood conference served the purpose of reviewing findings that resulted from that mandate. Fifty-two representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, the CDC and the FDA gathered at the retreat for two days of discussions, with the main topic of discussion revolving around a presentation regarding statistical research, on reported adverse side effects of vaccines derived from the Vaccine Safety Datalink, that had been conducted by Dr. Thomas Verstraeten. For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Congress in Joint Session. ... “FDA” redirects here. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12 (IIB), 6 , d Density, Hardness liquid 13. ... The United States, the FDA approves drugs. ... This is a list of pharmaceutical and biotech companies that are major manufacturers on global or national markets : Abbott Laboratories Able Laboratories Akzo Nobel Allergan Almirall Prodesfarma Alphapharm Altana (previously Byk Gulden) ALZA, part of Johnson & Johnson Amgen AstraZeneca, formed from the merger of Astra AB and Zeneca Group PLC... Adverse effect, in medicine, is an abnormal, harmful, undesired and/or unintended side-effect, although not necessarily unexpected, which is obtained as the result of a therapy or other medical intervention, such as drug/chemotherapy, physical therapy, surgery, medical procedure, use of a medical device, etc. ... A vaccine is an antigenic preparation used to establish immunity to a disease. ...

Three vaccines of primary interest were to be discussed, because they are given early in life. These included the hepatitis B vaccine, the DPT vaccine, and the Haemophilus influenza type B vaccine. “HBV” redirects here. ... DPT, (sometimes DTP) is a mixture of three vaccines, to immunize against diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. ...

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

The meeting also served as a prelude to high level government vaccine policy-making meetings, held by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which sets vaccine policy within the US for the CDC. The session was also to serve as the initial meeting of the ACIP work group on thimerosal and immunization. Dr. John Modlin, a faculty member at Dartmouth Medical School, was the chair of the ACIP at the time of the CDC's Simpsonwood conference.^{[citation needed]} The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) consists of fifteen advisors to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), selected by the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, to provide advice and guidance on the most effective means to prevent diseases through nation-wide vaccination campaigns. ... A child being immunized against polio. ... Dartmouth Medical School is the medical school of Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire. ...

On January 12, 2001, members of ACIP's vaccine policymaking committee met to discuss claims that children given mercury in vaccines had a much higher rate of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders.[3] Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Autism is a brain development disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior, all exhibited before a child is three years old. ... DISCLAIMER Please remember that Wikipedia is offered for informational use only. ...

Embargo

Proceedings were embargoed until June 21, prior to planned publication at ACIP. Publication in the event did not occur until 2003. After the conference, the CDC did not release Dr. Verstraeten's initial findings; instead, further analysis was conducted by Verstraeten and a revised publication was released in 2003.[4]

Criticism of report delays

By the time Verstraeten published the amended study results in 2003, he had gone to work for GlaxoSmithKline.[5] Critics contend that the delay in publication was to afford Verstraeten sufficient time fix the data around what they allege to be the CDC's objective of obscuring the link between thimerosal and autism.[6] Dr. Verstraeten denies the allegations, and has published a substantial account of the matter in the journal Pediatrics.[7] In September 2007, a report of the US Senate's committee on health, education, labor and pensions rejected allegations of impropriety [8]. GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE: GSK NYSE: GSK) is a British based pharmaceutical, biological, and healthcare company. ... Pediatrics is an official peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. ...

Conference participants

Among the attendees were the top vaccine specialist from the World Health Organization and representatives of every major vaccine manufacturer, including GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Wyeth and Aventis Pasteur. A partial list of the participants:[9] “WHO” redirects here. ... Merck & Co. ... Wyeth, formerly known as American Home Products, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. ...

• Dr. Roger Bernier, associate director for science for the CDC's National Immunization Program
• Dr. Mike Blum, from the safety surveillance and epidemiology at Wyeth
• Dr. Vito Caserta, chief medical officer for the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
• Dr. Bob Chen, chief of vaccine safety and development for the CDC's National Immunization Program
• Dr. Susan Chu, deputy associate director for science for the National Immunization Program
• Dr. John Clements, of the World Health Organization's Expanded Program on Immunization
• Dr. Richard Clover, chair of the department of family and community medicine, University of Louisville, and a member of the ACIP vaccine policy committee
• Dr. Carolyn Deal, acting deputy director of the division of bacterial products at CBER at the Food and Drug Administration
• Dr. Jose Cordero, deputy director of the National Immunization Program
• Dr. Frank DeStefano, medical epidemiologist in the National Immunization Program, and project director of the Vaccine Safety Datalink
• Dr. Bill Egan, acting director for the Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines Research and Review committee
• Dr. Harry Guess, head of the epidemiology department at Merck Research Laboratories
• Dr. Steve Hadler, an epidemiologist with the National Immunization Program
• Wendy Heaps, a health communications specialist with the National Immunization Program
• Dr. Barbara Howe, head of clinical research group for vaccine development for SmithKline Beecham
• Dr. David Johnson, State public health officer in Michigan, and a member of the ACIP vaccine policy committee
• Dr. Dick Johnston, chair of the Simpsonwood conference
• Dr. Loren Koller, a pathologist and immunotoxicologist from Oregon State University
• Dr. Xavier Kurz, an epidemiologist from Bryssels, representing the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products
• Ned Lewis, data manager at the Northern California Kaiser Permanente vaccine study center
• Dr. Alison Mawle, vaccine coordinator for the CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases
• Dr. John Modlin, a faculty member at Dartmouth Medical School and chairman of the ACIP vaccine policy committee
• Dr. Martin Myers, acting director of the National Vaccine Program
• Dr. Robert Pless, epidemiologiest with the vaccine safety and development branch of the National Immunization Program
• Dr. Douglas Pratt, a medical officer for the FDA's Office of Vaccines
• Dr. Peggy Rennels, pediatric infectious disease specialist at the center of vaccine development, University of Maryland, Baltimore and a member of the ACIP vaccine policy committee and the American Academy of Pediatricians Committee on Infectious Diseases
• Dr. Phillip Rhodes, statistician for the National Immunization Program
• Dr. Lance Rodewald, associate director for science for the CDC's Immunization Services Division
• Ben Schwartz, of the epidemiology and surveillance division at the National Immunization Program
• Dixie Snyder, the CDC's associate director for science and the executive secretary for ACIP
• Marty Stein, pediatrics department faculty member at University of California, San Diego, co-chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on the diagnosis and evaluation for ADHD
• Dr. Ted Staub, global head of biostatistcs and data systems for Aventis Pasteur
• Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, of the EIS office at the National Immunization Program
• Dr. Alex Walker, chair of the epidemiology department at the Harvard School of Public Health
• Dr. Jo White, head of clinical development and research at North American Vaccine
• Dr. Bonnie Word, from State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a member of the ACIP vaccine policy committee

The National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), formerly known as the National Immunization Program until April, 2006, is charged with responsibility for the planning, coordination, and conduct of immunization activities in the United States. ... The University of Louisville (also known as U of L) is a public, state-supported university located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. ... “FDA” redirects here. ... The National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), formerly known as the National Immunization Program until April, 2006, is charged with responsibility for the planning, coordination, and conduct of immunization activities in the United States. ... The Vaccine Safety Datalink Project (VSD) was established, in 1990, by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the study of adverse side effects of vaccines. ... Merck & Co. ... GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE: GSK NYSE: GSK) is a British based pharmaceutical, biological, and healthcare company. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Oregon State University (OSU) is a four-year research and degree-granting public university, located in Corvallis, Oregon in the United States. ... Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care organization, based in Oakland, California, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney R. Garfield. ... Dartmouth Medical School is the medical school of Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire. ... University of Maryland, Baltimore, (also known as UMB) was founded in 1807. ... The University of California, San Diego (popularly known as UCSD, or sometimes UC San Diego) is a public, coeducational research university located in La Jolla, a seaside resort community of San Diego, California. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... The State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNYSB), also known as Stony Brook University (SBU) is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York (on the north side of Long Island, about 55 miles east of Manhattan, New York). ...

Reference

• SafeMinds.org (pdf) - 'Scientific Review of Vaccine Safety Datalink Information' (2000 Simpsonwood CDC conference transcript; July 7-8, 2000)

The Vaccine Safety Datalink Project (VSD) was established, in 1990, by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the study of adverse side effects of vaccines. ...

External links

• MSNBC.msn.com - 'A coverup for a cause of Autism? RFK Jr. explains how ingredient in vaccines may have contributed to spread' (transcript of interview by Joe Scarborough), MSNBC June 22, 2005
• RollingStone.com - 'Deadly immunity: When a study revealed that mercury in childhood vaccines may have caused autism in thousands of kids, the government rushed to conceal the data -- and to prevent parents from suing drug companies for their role in the epidemic', Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Salon.com, Rolling Stone (June 20, 2005)
• Pediatrics - 'Thimerosal, the Centers for Disease Control and Pevention, and GlaxoSmithKline', Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, (2004)
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the US Senate - 'Thimerosal and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Alleged Misconduct by Government Agencies and Private Entities' (September 2007)