Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - 28 Dec 1995; 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
The plasma was made into products for human use that were given to thousands of hemophiliacs and others in the United States and Canada, a spokeswoman for Armour Pharmaceutical Co. told The Associated Press.
The company is a unit of Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (RPR).
A story on the illegal smuggling was carried in today's Philadelphia Inquirer.
"Armour was a victim in this hideous scheme," said Armour spokeswoman Beth Leahy. "We would never have willingly endangered anyone's life. Every appropriate step was taken to correct the situation when it was discovered."
The Inquirer reported that the plasma was fraudulently mislabeled as animal plasma, then smuggled into Europe in 15 shipments from 1985 to 1987 and purchased by Armour.
Leahy said Armour bought the plasma through the Brussels office of a British plasma brokerage, Gordon and Gregory, which had claimed the plasma was from Canada and had been screened for HIV.
Leahy said Armour now obtains plasma only from 24 company-owned centers in the United States.
There is no evidence that Armour, based in Collegeville, Pa., knew what was happening at the time. The mislabeling was done by a supplier in Africa and an air-freight service to avoid greater taxes and customs inspections, the Inquirer reported.
The newspaper obtained documents made public in Toronto last week by the Commission of Inquiry on The Blood System in Canada. The newspaper did not say whether anyone contracted the AIDS virus from Armour's products.
The commission has been conducting hearings for the past two years to determine how thousands of hemophiliacs and others contracted the AIDS virus and hepatitis using plasma-based drugs. The commission's final hearing was yesterday. It has nine months to submit a final recommendation for ensuring the safety of Canada's blood supply.
Copyright 1995/The Associated Press. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, The Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
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Copyright © 1995 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
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