[e-drug] Thimerosal (Thiomersal) in vaccines (3)

[e-drug@healthnet.org]

E_DRUG: Thimerosal (Thiomersal) in vaccines (3)
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Two recent appraisals of the use of Thimerosal (Thiomersal) in vaccines

1.  C John Clements, Peter B McIntyre. (2005). When science is not 
enough - a risk/benefit profile of thiomersal-containing vaccines. 
Expert Opinion on Drug Safety.  (Commissioned review - submitted for 
publication)

Abstract
Without a preservative such as thiomersal, multi-dose liquid 
presentations of vaccine are vulnerable to bacteriological 
contamination that can result in death or serious illness of the 
recipient. Concerns about levels of mercury exposure from 
thiomersal-containing vaccines were first raised in the US during 
1999 in the context of Hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. Since then, 
a large body of evidence from animal and epidemiological studies has 
accumulated on the safety of thiomersal. Ironically, these data have 
become largely irrelevant in wealthy countries, where mono-dose, 
thiomersal-free vaccines have been introduced as a precautionary 
measure in almost all childhood vaccines, in part related to residual 
public scepticism. In poor countries, multi-dose vials remain 
important for vaccine delivery. This review reviews and summarises 
the data available from published studies on mercury toxicity and 
thiomersal in vaccines jn particular which overwhelmingly indicate 
that continued use of thiomersal is safe in the countries where it is 
most needed.

2.  The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety Weekly 
Epidemiological Record

The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS), an expert 
clinical and scientific advisory body reporting to WHO, was 
established to deal with vaccine safety issues of potential global 
importance independently and with scientific rigour. GACVS held its 
twelfth meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on 9-10 June 2005. Weekly 
Epidemiological Record (WER), 15 July 2005, 80, 241-248
http://www.who.int/wer

This issue of the WER provided details of studies concerning safety of 
thiomersal together with this statement:   Currently, GACVS remains 
of the view that there is no evidence supporting a causal association 
between neurobehavioural disorders and thiomersal-containing vaccines.