Another rBGH Health Scandal in Canada

COVER-UP ALLEGED AT HEALTH CANADA; WERE PUSHED TO APPROVE DRUG,
SCIENTISTS SAY
September 17, 1998

The Globe and Mail (Canada)/ The Toronto Star
Ottawa -- Six Health Canada scientists were cited as telling an internal
labour board they were being pushed to approve bovine-growth-hormone
despite their concerns that it wasn't safe. The six scientists have been
ordered by their superiors not to speak publicly on the issue.
In another development yesterday, the Sierra Club of Canada released
government documents it says suggest far more research is needed
before Canadian farmers are allowed to inject their cows with the
hormone.
Sierra Club executive director Elizabeth May was cited as saying that the
documents show that the U.S. study that led to the approval of the
hormone in that country actually found that 30 per cent of the rats given
the drug reacted with increased levels of antibodies, and some had
lesions and cysts in their thyroid glands, adding, "What it shows is that
you need an awful lot more studies to be able to say that, on the basis
of a feeding study for rats, there is no problems for humans. . . . Yet
we are now on the brink of approving bovine-growth-hormone."
The documents released yesterday were obtained under an Access to
Information request by Barbara Robson, a researcher for Progressive
Conservative Senator Mira Spivak. The Senate's agriculture committee
is investigating the safety of the bovine-growth-hormone for humans
and animals, and had asked Health Canada to provide the scientific
evidence it is considering.
But Ms. Robson was cited as saying yesterday the department provided the
committee with a version of the scientific record that blocked out the
potentially troubling results and that it was only her personal request
that netted the information the politicians had been seeking, adding, "What I
think is appalling is the Senate was denied this information."
The story adds that it is not the first time the Health Protection Branch
has been criticized for secrecy (Mad Cows and Mother s Milk? -- dp) or
for putting the interests of drug companies before those of Canadians.
The branch played a key role in the tainted-blood tragedy of the 1980s.
Blair Stannard, vice-president of the union representing the six Health
Canada scientists -- Shiv Chopra, Margaret Haydon, Chris Basudde, Rajinder
Sharma, Gerard Lambert and Arrost Villim -- was quoted as saying, "There
is politician and financial pressure to approve the drug despite the
concerns of the scientists involved."
But Robert Joubert, Health Canada's director general of human
resources, was cited as saying yesterday the complaints have led the
department to set up two expert panels -- one of doctors and one of
veterinarians -- to examine the evidence.
Joel Weiner, a senior Health Protection Branch official, was cited as
saying they are expected to report by the end of October, adding, "It is
hard for me to understand why anybody can say we concealed evidence if in
fact: A) We have a review that is still ongoing, and B) We have turned to
both the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Canadian
Veterinary Medical Association to ask them to use their expertise to
assess whether or not we've looked at all the science ."
Ray Mowling, the vice-president of Monsanto Canada, was quoted as saying
the company "stands behind our science ," but didn't want to discuss
the results of the study done on rats. He wouldn't speculate about
when the drug might be approved.
In the Star story, Dr. Shiv Chopra, a drug evaluator in the Health
Protection Branch's bureau of veterinary medicine was quoted as telling a
labour adjudicator at a Public Service Staff Relations Board hearing that
a manager threatened to ship him and his colleagues to other departments
where they would ``never be heard of again'' if they didn't hurry their
evaluations.
Maude Barlow, chairperson of the Council of Canadians, was quoted as
telling a news conference that, ``The government of Canada has tried to
silence these experts. The brave scientists speak for many, many Canadians
and we are deeply concerned by the attempts of Health Canada to shut them
up.''
Dr. Margaret Haydon was cited as telling the tribunal yesterday that
managers tried to get her to approve another growth hormone, marketed by
Hoechst Canada as Revalor-H, although she was concerned not enough safety
data had been submitted.
The Star story says that after letters from the company complaining about
the length of time it took to get the drug approved, Haydon was told she
could be sued if Hoechst was unhappy with the drug review process.

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