BUSINESS WIRE - 44 Montgomery St, 39th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104; Tel: (415) 986-4422; FAX: (415) 788-5335 -
"The Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimates that xenotransplant costs for all patients who need organs could be as much as $20.3 billion," said Berger. "With HHS giving the go-ahead to xenotransplantation, health care costs overall will rise, insurance coverage will be even more limited, and insurance premiums will go sky-high. Fewer and fewer people will find adequate health care services available to them."
Perhaps the greatest risk of xenotransplantation is exposing human populations to a lethal virus from animals, explained Berger. "All IOM can say is that the risk is `greater than zero' which is hardly a reassuring measurement! Even if the risk is small, a new deadly virus infecting humans could be as catastrophic as HIV, and HIV is an animal virus passed on to the human population. Xenotransplantation is not worth the risk to public safety."
The HHS guidelines contain recommendations to protect public health, but "with the potential for more than 100,000 xenotransplants annually," said Berger, "their surveillance system for after xenotransplants have been performed is not financially or physically possible. And the suggestion that local review boards can monitor xenotransplantation research protocols to keep them consistent is unworkable."
"The HHS guidelines don't address the ethics of using animals," said Berger. "Yet a November 1995 Associated Press poll showed that 67% of Americans agree somewhat or strongly that an animal's right to live free of suffering should be as important as a person's right to live free of suffering. Animals have the right to live, be free of pain and suffering, and to pursue their own natural and essential interests."
"But xenotransplantation," continued Berger, "is concerned not with the rights of animals but with their use. The biotech industry, estimating xenotransplant needs at more than 100,000 transgenic (genetically altered) pigs annually, may expect revenues in the billions. Has HHS bent to pressure from the biotech industry to place profits ahead of public health?"
"Why has HHS not given adequate consideration to the xenotransplant alternatives?" asked Berger, pointing to new surgical techniques, preventative medicine, and increasing the number of available organ donors through a strong donor recruitment program or a Presumed Consent Law.
"In its haste to see xenotransplantation as the ready answer to the chronic need for replacement organs," added Berger, "the Department of Health and Human Services has downplayed the very great risk to the human population while opening the doors to crippling expenses that will render this highly experimental and still unproven surgery available only to the wealthy while the rest of us will find our health services continuing to diminish."
Founded in 1968, the Animal Protection Institute of America (API) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to informing, educating, and encouraging the humane treatment of all animals. API protects against animal abuse through enforcement/legislative actions, investigations, advocacy campaigns, public awareness, and education, at all levels from local to state, national, and international.
--30--cmf/sf gdr/rn/sf
CONTACT: Animal Protection Institute of America Alan Berger, 916/731-5521
REPEATS: New York 212-752-9600 or 800-221-2462; Boston 617-236-4266 or 800-225-2030; SF 415-986-4422 or 800-227-0845; LA 310-820-9473 Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet with Hyperlinks to your home page. URL: http://www.businesswire.com
Copyright (c) 1996/BUSINESS WIRE. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, Business Wire, 1185 Avenue of the Americas, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10036; Tel: (212) 575-8822; FAX: (212) 575-1854.
960926
BW960922
Copyright © 1996 - Business Wire. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Business Wire, Permissions Desk, Business Wire, 1185 Avenue of the Americas, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10036; Tel: (212) 575-8822; FAX: (212) 575-1854. http://www.businesswire.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1996. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1996. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .