Have you heard the CDC owns patents on vaccines?
“The CDC is a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical industry. The agency owns more than 20 vaccine patents and purchases and sells $4.1 billion in vaccines annually. Congressman Dave Weldon has pointed out that the primary metric for success across the CDC is how many vaccines the agency sells and how successfully the agency expands its vaccine program—regardless of any negative effects on human health.”
Robert F Kennedy, Jr
Wait, the CDC sells vaccines?
To who?
Myths About the CDC Selling Vaccines
The CDC doesn’t sell vaccines. That’s not their mission.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety, and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities to do the same.”
CDC Mission, Role and Pledge
They do buy vaccines. A lot of vaccines.
In 2017, the CDC immunization program spent just over $4.8 billion dollars, including $4.1 billion on the Vaccines for Children program.
“…from March through December 2016, over 13,000 doses of meningococcal conjugate vaccine, purchased using CDC funding, were used to respond to a deadly outbreak of meningitis in Southern California.”
Department Of Health And Human Services Fiscal Year 2018
Did they sell all of those vaccines?
If they did, then they wouldn’t have to request money from Congress each year to buy more vaccines, now would they?
“CDC buys vaccines at a discount and distributes them to grantees—i.e., state health departments and certain local and territorial public health agencies—which in turn distribute them at no charge to those private physicians’ offices and public health clinics registered as VFC providers.”
The VFC Program: At a Glance
Instead, the vaccines that the CDC buys, at big discounts, since they are buying so many, are offered free to those kids who can’t afford vaccines in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program and through Section 317 grants.
What About the CDC Vaccine Patents?
Is Kennedy right about the CDC vaccine patents?
“In the course of performing our mission, many CDC researchers identify novel technologies which may be of interest to commercial partners. Some of these technologies are available as a biological or other tangible material for licensing, whereas others are protected under patent.”
Office of the Associate Director for Science (OADS)
OK, so the CDC has patents…
Well, not exactly the CDC. The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services has patents…
When you think of Kennedy’s claim, do you think that the CDC has the patent on 20 new vaccines? After all, that’s how it sounds, doesn’t it?
They don’t. Instead, they mostly own patents on vaccine technology.
“This technology describes a method for inactivating rotavirus. Traditional inactivation strategies use chemicals that reduce antigenicity (by altering rotavirus proteins), leading to less protection against the virus. Conversely, this method preserves and/or maintains the integrity of viral particles, leading to greater protection against rotavirus. This strategy has been validated in mice, piglets and cattle and further clinical studies are underway.”
A Novel Thermal Method to Inactivate Rotavirus for Use in Vaccines
Why patent these technologies?
Because they were discovered by CDC researchers and if their intellectual properly is not patented, then someone else could patent it, use it or sell it, and keep others from using it.
“After a license is negotiated, post-license compliance must be maintained to ensure the scheduled development of the technology, payment of royalties, and compliance to the license agreement. Based on the terms negotiated in the agreement, a percentage of royalties will go to the inventor, while a portion will go to the originating laboratory for that technology. This allows funding to be reinvested into CDC for the development of additional technologies that can meet other public health needs.”
What is the Process of Technology Transfer?
Should it be a surprise that these patents might generate money?
“Certain people are not considered for ACIP membership. For example, people who are directly employed or have an immediate family member directly employed by a vaccine manufacturer, hold a patent on a vaccine or related product, or serve on a Board of Directors of a vaccine manufacturer are excluded from ACIP membership.”
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Childhood Immunization Schedule
Is it a surprise that the CDC and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has taken steps to make sure these patents don’t generate any conflicts of interest among those making decisions about vaccines?
“Dr Offit did not sit on the FDA committee that approved any rotavirus vaccine and he was not a member of ACIP, as RFK Jr claims, at the time they voted to recommend adding rotavirus vaccine to the immunization schedule.”
The Truth about vaccines 6: rotavirus
Is it a surprise that Kennedy is just trying to scare folks with all of this talk about selling vaccines and vaccine patents?
What to Know About the CDC’s Vaccine Patents
While the CDC does own and license some patents related to vaccines and vaccine technologies, they don’t actually sell any vaccines.
More on the CDC’s Vaccine Patents
- CDC vaccine patents – Robert F Kennedy Jr gets this one wrong too
- The Truth about vaccines 6: rotavirus
- Did Paul Offit MD “Sit on the FDA Committee” That Approved His RotaTeq Vaccine?
- CDC – Available Technologies for Licensing and Collaboration
- What is the Process of Technology Transfer?
- NIH – A Novel Thermal Method to Inactivate Rotavirus for Use in Vaccines
- Collaborative Efforts Yield Improved Rotavirus Vaccine
- CDC – Vaccines For Children (VFC) program
- Financing Immunizations in the United States
- Financing Vaccines in the 21st Century: Assuring Access and Availability.
- CDC Mission, Role and Pledge
- How the VFC Program Works
- The VFC Program: At a Glance
- VFC Detailed Questions and Answers for Parents
- Conflicts of interest in vaccine safety research
- Conflicts of interest, whats good for the goose…
- Anti-vaccine lobby spreads more lies about Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest in Vaccine Research
- Exaggerating conflicts of interest to sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt about vaccines
Last Updated on May 19, 2018