-Caveat Lector- Six Gene Therapy Deaths Unreported WASHINGTON (AP) - Two researchers competing to be the first to grow new blood vessels around blocked ones say they didn't report to the National Institutes of Health that six people have died during their gene therapy studies. Ronald Crystal of the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan and Jeffrey Isner of Tufts University in Boston told The Washington Post they believe the six patients died from underlying illnesses and not from the gene therapy. Last month the Food and Drug Administration ordered Schering-Plough Corp. to temporarily halt two gene therapy studies after a teen-ager in a similar experiment died on Sept. 16. University of Pennsylvania scientists had placed healthy genes in his liver to combat a rare metabolic disease. The researchers in the blood vessel study said they did report the deaths to the FDA, which doesn't release the information. But they said federal regulations didn't require them to tell the NIH because gene therapy didn't directly cause the deaths. The Post quoted NIH officials in its editions Wednesday as saying that even deaths first appearing unrelated to gene therapy should be reported and made public because the cause of death may not be determined until later. ``It may take five, six, seven patients ill, or 20 patients, before you find out, 'Hey, this is also happening in other people's trials,''' said Amy Patterson, who heads the NIH office that oversees gene therapy studies. Isner told the Post not reporting the deaths was an oversight and he was unclear about whether he had to. Crystal said he supported telling the NIH, but he didn't consider it a legal requirement. He said Parke-Davis, which sponsored his study, has become responsible for reporting deaths to the agencies involved. Parke-Davis spokeswoman Carol Goodrich told the Post that the company had sent the NIH details of the deaths on Oct. 20. The deaths had been discussed in scientific journals and meetings, both researchers said. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
