Anthrax, a Remedy and a Ticking Clock
The Government Accountability Office has just delivered a razor sharp analysis of why an $878 million contract for anthrax vaccine failed. It was spelled out in a story yesterday by my colleague Renae Merle -- and was the subject of a hearing by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
It seems the Department Health and Human Services wanted to show the public it was moving quickly to address the threat of anthrax attacks. So it rushed to award a contract in 2004 to a fledgling company called VaxGen to buy tens of millions of doses for a national stockpile.
Nevermind the fact the company could not possibly deliver what the contract called for, according to the GAO report. Last year, the contract was canceled because the company did not deliver as promised.
"The failure of this procurement effort raised larger questions," the GAO report said.
One consequence of the problems is that the government now stands each year to lose up to $100 million worth of the vaccine already acquired, due to expiration dates.
Read for yourself. It's another example of the government officials rushing forward with poorly planned, very expensive contracts after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks to show it was doing something to protect the country.
It's hard not to wonder about how much money was wasted in all, and also how much time.
By Robert O'Harrow |
October 24, 2007; 6:00 AM ET
homeland security
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Posted by: Ross | October 24, 2007 7:42 AM
So who sent that anthrax in 2001, just after 9/11?
Posted by: Ernest | October 24, 2007 2:14 PM
My vote: US-based supporters of the militants. Salafists.
Using the same sort of infrastructure that traces back to WTC 1993 -- and an infiltration even more egregious than Ali Mohammed. (Ali Mohammed infiltrated the US Army and the CIA, and duped the FBI.)
If we don't learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.
The argument in a hyperlinked outline form is here:
http://www.anthraxandalqaeda.com
Posted by: Ross | October 24, 2007 3:25 PM
This is the biggest fraud to hit the taxpayers - yet, another 30 million just got issued to receive more anthrax vaccine that will again get wasted. At the same time, the CDC quit a trial of volunteers of the current anthrax vaccine due to side effects - yet it's mandated on service men and women. It's time to face reality. Antibiotics have already been proven effective if caught within 48 hours. Rather than blowing any more money on these vaccines (which cause serious side effects) let's focus on early detection systems and distribute the antibiotics which have far less side effects and have already been proven effective. We don't even know if the anthrax vaccine will be effective in case of a bioterrorism attack.
Posted by: What a Waste! | October 25, 2007 12:30 PM
Are you saying that the much ballyhoo'd efforts of the Bush Administration to make us safe is a fraud?? Boy do I feel safe now. Worst President Ever.
Posted by: thebob | October 26, 2007 2:56 PM
When I returned from Iraq, I was told that if I do not get an Anthrax shot I would not get discharged. Following the shot I suffered severe muscle spasms as did other people that I spoke to.
Soldiers in the military are GINNY PIGS. SO many scientific experiments are forced on the military. Soldiers have died and yet these big drug companies continue to get the million dollar contract.
In Japan, a man was exicuted for helpng drug companies get contracts on drugs that killed innocent civilians. These drugs were never tested however, documents were forged to show otherwise.
armyrangerarmyranger@yahoo.com
Posted by: armyranger | October 29, 2007 9:21 AM
After 2 postal workers died and others suffered through the disease, no one was ever caught or charged with sending anthrax through the mail. Another case of class struggle, let the workers die and protect Congress and the media outlets.
Posted by: Ken714 | October 29, 2007 9:46 AM
The comments to this entry are closed.
See also "Senate Anthrax Hearing Overlooks Key Lesson Learned," October 23, 2007
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