Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press Wednesday, September 18, 1996 10:26 am EDT
MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Writer
Dr. Takeshi Abe, 80, was the first person to be indicted in one of Japan's worst medical scandals in years.
Abe, a former professor and vice president of Teikyo University, served as head of a Health and Welfare Ministry panel on AIDS in 1983-1984. He has been accused of protecting domestic manufacturers by delaying the ministry's approval of safe heat-treated blood products available overseas.
Heat treatment wasn't approved in Japan until 1985, and about 2,000 Japanese, mostly hemophiliacs, contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, from untreated products. About 400 have died.
The investigation focuses on why major drug companies, the Health Ministry and hemophilia experts did not act on evidence as early as 1983 that untreated blood products could cause AIDS.
With his key role in shaping Japan's health policy during the early stages of the AIDS virus' spread in Japan, Abe is seen as one of the key figures in the scandal.
Abe, who was arrested last month, is accused in several cases, but today's indictment involved only a single one. He was charged with professional negligence resulting in the death of a hemophiliac patient he treated with unheated blood coagulants in May and June 1985. The patient developed AIDS and died.
If convicted, Abe could be sentenced to five years in prison.
Prosecutors allege that Abe knew of the potential dangers of unheated products but ignored safer alternatives.
"Considering the role he played, we thought Abe naturally deserved indictment," said deputy chief prosecutor Tatsuo Kainaka.
Abe has denied the charge, saying he did his best to protect patients. The risks of AIDS were unclear then, he said, and a mass recall of unheated blood products could have made treatment for hemophiliacs impossible.
Abe's arrest and indictment have shocked Japan, a nation where doctors are highly respected and malpractice suits are rare. The scandal also has shattered the credibility of Japan's powerful government bureaucracy.
A criminal investigation is also underway of pharmaceutical executives and Health Ministry officials.
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