Legislation Seeks to Increase Availability of Vaccines for Pandemic Vaccines

Legislation Seeks to Increase Availability of Vaccines for Pandemic Vaccines

October 7, 2005 -
Washington, DC - Congressman Darrell Issa today announced the introduction H.R. 3970, the Bioterror and Pandemic Preparedness Protection Act, in order to ensure that needed vaccines are produced and made publicly available in the event that they are required to address an outbreak of Avian Bird Flu or other biological threat.

"The emerging threat of Avian Bird Flu and other diseases necessitates taking steps to ensure that if we need quick access to a vaccine being developed, we aren't faced with legal impediments to acquiring the vaccine for the public on short notice," said Rep. Issa.

Under H.R. 3970, during a declared public health emergency, barriers to the use of vaccines under development could be eliminated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This special approval would allow manufacturers to release, and healthcare professionals to administer, vaccines for public use that they would, otherwise, be unavailable under existing liability laws by limiting liability to instances of intentional misconduct or gross negligence.

"This is a provision that I hope will never be needed. But, if we are in the midst of a pandemic, similar to the one we faced in 1918, I'd rather have access to vaccines that have proven successful even if they haven't finished all phases of testing," said Issa.

H.R. 3970 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, on which Rep. Issa sits.

http://issa.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressOffice.View&ContentRecord_id=383&Region_id=0&Issue_id=0&CFID=1469104&CFTOKEN=35398240