![\"Screen](\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Screen-Shot-2015-05-22-at-5.22.15-PM.png\")
<\/p>\nPharmaceutical giant Aventis-Pasteur is trying to rally opposition to state legislation that would bar use of a mercury-based preservative in vaccines administered to infants and pregnant women in California.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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In a late charge against the bill, Aventis has recruited an important ally — the California Conference of Local Health Officers, which represents chief medical officers of all 58 California counties.<\/p>\n
The group’s president, Dr. Scott Morrow, acknowledged this week that the group decided to oppose the ban after being contacted by Aventis.<\/p>\n
Already approved by the Assembly and awaiting a vote in the Senate, the bill by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) would prohibit expectant mothers and children younger than 3 from receiving routine immunizations containing more than trace amounts of thimerosal, a preservative that is half ethyl mercury.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The proposal reflects mounting concern about exposure to mercury in various forms. And it comes against a backdrop of charges that mercury, a neurotoxin, has contributed to a surge in autism and other neurological ailments in children.<\/p>\n
The vaccine industry and many public health officials say there is no proof of any harm to children from the small amounts of mercury in vaccines.<\/p>\n
Even so, manufacturers in recent years have voluntarily eliminated thimerosal or reduced it to trace levels in routine pediatric vaccines. The flu vaccine made by Aventis — the lone supplier of flu vaccine for children younger than 2 — is the only major exception.<\/p>\n
Aventis offers its vaccine with or without the preservative. Under terms of the bill, it would have two years to convert to entirely thimerosal-free flu vaccine.<\/p>\n
After months of taking no position on the Pavley bill, Aventis is raising the specter of shortages that could leave the state vulnerable to a mass outbreak of flu. In a statement to The Times, Aventis warned that the bill “would curtail the access of Californians to needed vaccine and undermine public confidence in one of healthcare’s most effective prevention tools.”<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, however, an Aventis spokesman said the company should be able to produce enough thimerosal-free vaccine to fill all orders, given sufficient notice. Aventis representatives did not return calls seeking clarification.<\/p>\n
Rick Rollens, a Granite Bay resident with an autistic son and an activist in issues of vaccine safety, described Aventis’ stand as indefensible and “a bully tactic by a large pharmaceutical company.”<\/p>\n
Aventis previously stayed on the sidelines, leaving the state chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians to oppose the bill.<\/p>\n
But both groups dropped their opposition when Pavley agreed to amendments extending the compliance date for flu vaccine to July 2006 and providing for suspension of the ban in a public health emergency.<\/p>\n
Aventis and the health officers declared their opposition in letters to Pavley’s office in the last week.<\/p>\n
The conference of health officers’ letter echoed Aventis’ warning that the bill could have dire consequences in the event of an influenza pandemic.![\"\"](\"http:\/\/articles.latimes.com\/images\/pixel.gif\"){kind=tracking}
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In response to inquiries by The Times, Morrow said he discovered that Aventis sought the group’s help on the bill — something he said he didn’t know at the time he signed the letter.<\/p>\n
“I’m very disappointed,” he said. “It feels to me very disingenuous.”<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, Morrow said, his group has taken the right “position regardless of how it came to us.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Drug Firm Fights Ban on Vaccine Preservative Myron Levin LA Times Pharmaceutical giant Aventis-Pasteur is trying to rally opposition to state legislation that would bar use of a mercury-based preservative in vaccines administered to infants and pregnant women in California.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15370\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}