Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Judge Rejects Ban on Flu Vaccine for Pregnant Women (Update1)

By Cary O’Reilly

Aug. 26 (Bloomberg) -- A federal judge refused to ban giving swine flu vaccine to pregnant women, saying he needs more information

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton in Washington today rejected the request for a temporary order from the Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs, saying the advocacy group failed to demonstrate shots containing the preservative thimerosal can cause the alleged harm.

“I just don’t see how I can make a finding that irreparable injury would result,” based on the record before the court, Walton said at a hearing.

He gave the group two weeks to present more evidence on causation and the amount of vaccine that contains mercury-based thimerosal before deciding whether to grant a government motion to dismiss the suit.

Pregnant women and health-care workers would be among the first inoculated against the flu strain when vaccine producers such as Sanofi-Aventis SA and Novartis AG begin delivery during autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.

H1N1, the virus that causes swine flu, has infected at least 182,166 people and killed at least 1,799 worldwide as of Aug. 13, the World Health Organization said. The figures are based on confirmed cases reported to the Geneva-based UN agency.

The case is Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs v. Sebelius, 09-cv-15, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).

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