"France's Medical AIDSgate"

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1992. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

"France's Medical AIDSgate"

Washington Times (01/29/92), P. F3
Cutler, B.J.

Abstract: The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that between 1983 and 1985, French government health officials knowingly gave AIDS-contaminated blood transfusions to patients because national blood bank officials determined it would be too expensive to replace the tainted blood. Although the contaminated blood could have been heated to inactivate the virus, the process was not used because heated plasma would have to be imported from America. In addition, the cabinet of President Francois Mitterand decided to keep an American HIV test for blood supplies off the market until a French version could be developed by Pasteur Diagnostics, of which the government owns 50 percent. During this period of inactivity, between 4,200 and 6,200 blood recipients contracted AIDS, a horrible price to pay for callousness and anti-Americanism, writes columnist B.J. Cutler. Adding to their reprehensible behavior, the establishment attempted to smear the reputation of Ann-Marie Casteret, the journalist who broke the story, before an investigation confirmed her findings.

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