Patent Nonsense
Last month Dr Paul Offit, the chief of Infectious Diseases and the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, was invited to throw out the first ball at a major league baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamond Backs. Moreover, he was invited as a representative of the Immunization Coalitions of South Eastern Pennsylvania. The Philllies were honouring Dr Offit and lending themselves to the promotion of the vaccine program.
Dr Offit is with Phillie Phanatic, the team mascot. Perhaps this is what Jenny McCarthy meant with her “Green Our Vaccines” campaign. Dr Offit brought along his own mascot, Bee Diddy, from the Bucks County Immunization Coalition. Bee is no stranger to Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Phillies. Here s/he is last year promoting adult vaccination awareness at one of their games.
It is good to know that there are organizations actively promoting immunization in the US and that they have the support of mainstream society. The anti-vaccine groups that make so much noise in and around the autism community are very much in the minority. They ought to be an insignificant minority. After all there is plenty of evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of vaccines and the science points against any connection between vaccines and autism. Even the vaccine court, which is predisposed to support claims for vaccine injury, has thrown out recent test cases for an autism vaccine connection because the evidence was overwhelmingly against it. One special master even said that the parents had been seriously misled by their physicians.
However, with the help of some well placed political representatives, celebrity endorsements and cheerleaders in the media, they have been an effective lobby. They persuaded government that they had legitmate concerns and millions of research dollars where diverted into investigating the putative link between vaccines and autism. Their representatives have been invited to participate in governmernt committees and to contribute to the design of part of the research program.
This means that their pronouncements are often widely disseminated. Take a recent press release from the grandly named National Autism Alliance. It was distributed by the PRNewswire service and was taken up by Reuters.
Bizarrely entitled, Offit’s Failure To Disclose Financial Interests on Dateline Jeopardizes Swine Flu Vaccine, its thinly diguised message is that anyone with a connection to the vaccine industry has to be a pharma shill and hence cannot be trusted. These people are outraged because Dr Offit is one of their fiercest critics. The author of Autism’s False Prophets, a doctor who has devoted his life to the welfare of childen and speaking up for the safety and efficacy of vaccines committed the ultimate sin in their eyes. Not only does he defend vaccines, he invented a vaccine against the rotavirus and received a substantial financial reward when the Children’s hospital of Pennsylvania sold the patent rights for 182 million dollars.
NAA believes that Dr Offit’s share was between 29 and 50 million dollars and that this somehow compromises his independence. Seriously, if I had even one million dollars that would not compromise my independence. IT WOULD GUARANTEE MY INDEPENDENCE. And how does Dr Offit use his financial independence? He does what he always does and turns up for work at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia every day. He was not in it for money when he went into medicine. He was not in it for the money when he spent 20 years developing a vaccine. He is not in it for the money now. He is in it for the children and I say he deserves every penny he gets.
As it happens, Dr Offit made around 5 million dollars for his 20 years of work on the Rotateq vaccine. Not that it is anybody’s business but his own. But the ridiculous amounts cited by the anti-vaccine lobby were beginning to take on the power of an urban myth.
Meanwhile back to baseball. Even at five million dollars Dr Offit is not the most expensive pitcher to step out for the Phillies. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels started his 2009 season by signing a 3-year, $20.5 million deal with the Phillies.
Blog reactions to NAA’s press release.
Left Brain Right Brain
Autism News Beat
Confutata
Countering Age of Autism
Comment by Sullivan | September 15th, 2009
I didn’t know about “Bee Diddy”. Great picture!
Paul Offit got millions of dollars. He can do whatever he wants. What does he want to do–the same thing he was doing before: work at his hospital and help kids.
On the side he writes books and answers calls from the media about vaccine safety. Gee. He was doing that before the payout too.
How many of us can say that if we got a big chunk of money we would still be in the same job?
Comment by Squillo | September 16th, 2009
Good for the Phillies! Thanks for sharing the pix, too.
Frankly, I think the $6 million was too little in comparison with the compensation garnered by many people who do bupkus to improve anyone’s lives.
Clearly, Offit loves what he does, and many of us truly appreciate that he is willing to speak out on behalf of vaccination.
Comment by Charmaine Veselsky | September 16th, 2009
I say this to the special master who thinks parents are being misled by their physicians.
1. No physician has to tell me what I have witnessed with my own eyes.
2. Because I have witnessed this harm, the studies you claim to have are either invalid or non-existent. And…
3. Dr. Paul Offit is blinded by dollar signs and has no intentions of giving up his lucrative career.
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Comment by David N. Brown | September 17th, 2009
It should be noted, “5 million” is a bit of an understatement of Offit’s earnings. It was probably around $6,160,000. I think I may be the first to post a calculation based on an appropriate interpretation of CHOP policy.
To Ms. Veselsky et al: What you think you witnessed is NOT comparable to objective scientific evidence. Even what you think you remember about the sequence of events could easily have been warped by retrospective interpretation, suggestion and outright false memories. Also, a conundrum: If Paul Offit were the amoral mercenary critics portray him to be, what would stop him from betraying vaccine manufacturers if it became convenient?
Comment by Mike | September 17th, 2009
Charmaine,
the special master heard expert testimony by both sides and read reams of documentation before coming to his conclusion. Individuals may believe that their case was caused by vaccine damage. And if the balance of evidence is in their favour they will get a favourable judgement. The petitioners’ claim was somewhat different. They were seeking to prove a general causation theory that did not stand up in court because the weight of scientific evidence was against it.
Regarding Paul Offit, he is a millionaire now. That money is in the bank. It was a one off payment. His career is as a doctor in a children’s hospital. Where are the dollar signs in that?
Comment by Mike | September 17th, 2009
David,
I am a little uneasy about the public discussion of Dr Offit’s financial affairs. I know it is important to show that the myth that he garnered tens of millions of dollars from his invention is being spread by people who know it to be false and are lying to promote their agenda. Beyond that, whether it is 5 million or 6 million or even 6.16 million is conjecture. It is permissible to calculate the maximum he could have received and compare that to the wildly inaccurate figures of his opponents. But I do not want to encourage public speculation about the actual sum he was paid.
Comment by Suzie | September 19th, 2009
Dear Mike, I am disgusted that someone would actually take time to speak so poorly about the doctor’s who have literally given up so much of their lives to devote time to my children. I came across your blogs while looking up info about Low Dose Naltrexone and can’t believe the how you so easily group all those who try to help our children heal their bodies as charlatans who participate in quackery. My home is a living and breathing example of what a DAN! practitioner can do. I have twins who were both diagnosed with autism. With the tireless help of many doctors I have healed one and on the way to healing another. I have three children and the only one without autism is the one that I did not vaccinate. That child is also my healthiest and has been to the doctor once for a sick visit. I do not find this coincidental in any way. I lived at the doctors office with my other two and when they were diagnosed with autism they told me that there was not much we could do to help them other than behavioral therapies. What a joke!!! Chelation, which you so conveniently critisize, has been a saviour. I watched my now healed son blossom with each treatment. Shame on you for being so critical of the best people I have met in my life. They don’t have 6 million dollars in the bank and work like horses to help us. What kind of hope and help do you offer? If I believed a thing that you write about I would have a third child with autism and two in an institution. Instead I have two typical children and one on his way. You are participating in a large disservice to the autism community. Those parents who have autistic children that agree with you, and I have met many, are generally too lazy to do the work that it takes to heal a child with autism. Shame on them and you!
Comment by Mike | September 20th, 2009
Those parents who have autistic children that agree with you, and I have met many, are generally too lazy to do the work that it takes to heal a child with autism. Shame on them and you!
What a nasty thing to say.
I hope your unvaccinated child never contracts a vaccine preventable disease and your two autistic children continue to thrive.
Comment by Chris | September 20th, 2009
Suzie, the plural of anecdote is anecdotes, not data.
While on a listserv many years ago these treatments were discussed. For every parent who claimed a miraculous change in their children there were others who experienced no improvement.
Actually one time a mom wrote that she bought the highly exalted and expensive supplements, and then life got in the way and she forgot to give them to her son. Her son then had a developmental spurt. She wrote that she would have credited the supplements, except they were still sitting unopened in the cupboard.
Comment by Suzie | September 20th, 2009
Good for that mom, i am happy for her that her son was able to have positive recovery without intervention. But if she forgot to give them, why were they not opened in the first place? Maybe they were never given. My one son would have died had it not been for the likes of Arthur Krigsman and his colleague Andrew wakefield who are spoken so poorly about here. As far as my one son who has recovered it has been miraculous and it took me and all of the support 6 years of hard work to do it. No quick fix here.
Mike, you may think that is a nasty thing to say but I have heard worse from those same parents I was speaking about telling me that I am an irresponsible parent just for placing my children on a special diet. the same parents who tell me they take their autistic children to Mcdonalds daily and wonder why their behavoir is so poor. I feel that you have had nothing but nasty things to say about any of the people dedicating their lives to healing those with autism. Your website is Action for Autism but it seems more like Action Against those who are helping heal Autism.
My two boys with autism will continue to thrive. So Mike, you have not answered my question. What are you offering up to help the 1 in 150? To me it looks like you are saying to support and respect them as they are and stop looking for a way to heal them. Many of these kids are ill and they need help to feel better.
While my friends and I work on healing our children and volunteer our time helping other families do the same, you are doing the opposite here and creating a very hostile environment. If I were new to autism and I read your info I might not treat my children. That would have left my children in a constant state of pain and lost to the rest of the world. In the case of my one son, maybe not alive. I do respect my children with autism and feel that in no way seeking out treatment is disrespecting who they are. Just as you would treat a child with cancer, epilepsy, or any other illness you should address autism the same way.
I am sure that I won’t be missed by anyone who frequents this website but I will not be returning. Like many of the other people who I have come across on this journey that are so negative, I cannot support those who are just willing to let autism continue to flourish. Autism is preventable and treatable.
The truth about autism will make it’s way. Until then I will keep up the journey forward helping all those who are willing to ride with me.
Comment by Dedj | September 20th, 2009
I’ve seen clients (severely autistic adults coming from a long term institutional backgrounds) who have made radical improvements in much shorter times frames, with absolutely no biomed, ABA, or DAN at all. 6 years of any intensive therapy should produce results. I’d be very worried if it didn’t.
Even recently, the BJOT detailed a client-centered, needs-led OT-based intervention that produced noticable results. No DAN to be found anywhere. Just sensible application of mainstream knowledge that was accesible to mainstream therapists.
“you are doing the opposite here and creating a very hostile environment”
So far, the two most hostile posters of the this month have both been ‘autism-moms’. This is fairly typical for many autism websites that are not pro-biomed or pro-DAN. It’s not uncommon for ‘autism-moms’ to berate, insult, dismiss, or otherwise devalue professionals, entire organisations, entire professions and individuals, and then act shocked when they get a smidgeon of it in return.
“If I were new to autism and I read your info I might not treat my children”
Why? He’s directly involved with several organisations that provide various treatments and services to people with autism.
“Autism is preventable and treatable.”
Many of us in the ‘ND crowd’ have clinical, vocational, academic, or voluntary experience of autism therapies and services. This includes Mike.
So the only question that needs an answer is: you don’t actually know who Mike Stanton is or what he actually does (and for who), do you? Did you even bother to read the side-bar?
Comment by Mike | September 20th, 2009
suzie departed thus:
I am sure that I won’t be missed by anyone who frequents this website but I will not be returning.
I had hoped that Suzie was interested in a dialogue. Obviously not. Her hurtful accusations against parents who do not agree with her, her misrepresentation of my views and her unsubstantiated claims about autism suggest that she was not much interested in an exchange of ideas. Never mind.
Comment by David N. Brown | September 21st, 2009
Mike,
I have confirmation from Offit that he received around $6M, and received permission to post his statement.
On further consideration, I am convinced that there are grounds for a lawsuit against NAA and other authors or distributors of the press release, not only by Offit but by CHOP, Matt Lauer, Sanofi and GSK. With regard to the “$29M or more” figure in particular, it is effectively a libel against CHOP: If the hospital had not payed all three patent holders, its actions would represent fraud, against its own employees no less.
Comment by Amrhein | September 24th, 2009
Mike,
I have confirmation from Offit that he received around $6M, and received permission to post his statement.
On further consideration, I am convinced that there are grounds for a lawsuit against NAA and other authors or distributods of the press release, not only by Offit but by CHOP, Matt Lauer, Sanofi and GSK. With regard to the “$29M or more” figure in particular, it is effectively a libel against CHOP: If the hospital had not payed all thre3 patent holders, its actions would represent fraud, against its own employees no less.;
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[...] Team of the Year. The Philadelphia Phillies for honouring Dr Offit. (He also got an award from the American Association of [...]