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Biotech / Medical : XOMA. Bull or Bear? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: aknahow who wrote (6789)	7/24/1998 12:24:00 PM
From: Bluegreen	Respond to of 17367

George, did you see the train wreck over at Isis this am?

To: aknahow who wrote (6789)	7/24/1998 3:51:00 PM
From: Bluegreen	Respond to of 17367

Voluntary vaccine program to continue Governor Almond signs a bill providing for meningitis vaccinations for those who want them, to be paid for by health insurers. By LAURA MEADE KIRK Journal Staff Writer Remember earlier this year, when meningitis anxiety gripped the state and people waited for hours at doctors' offices, health centers and public health clinics for a shot of the vaccine? The state Department of Health, in an extraordinary move, provided free vaccines for about 188,000 people after 11 cases of meningitis were reported last January and February, resulting in the deaths of three children. There hasn't been a case since. ''We have no scientific explanation for that,'' said Helen Drew, the state Department of Health's legislative liaison. ''It's a combination of two things: the vaccines and good luck,'' said Dr. David Chronley, a pediatrician who is co-president of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians. Chronley said the vaccinations alone can't be credited for the lack of meningitis cases since February. They aren't 100 percent effective, and don't even protect against all of the strains of the disease. ''But the fact that we have been so lucky leads to more public confidence in the [vaccination] program,'' he noted. Drew and Chronley were among those at the State House yesterday when Governor Almond held a ceremonial signing of a bill that will allow the state to continue its voluntary meningitis vaccination program, to be paid for by health insurers. Almond had threatened to veto earlier versions of the legislation, which required the vaccine for young people ages 2 to 22 and would have required youngsters to have the vaccine before starting school. But he agreed to a compromise version of the bill which would allow the state to continue to make the vaccine available to those who want it. It's unclear how many people will take advantage of the vaccine in the future, given that the scare of last winter has faded. The vaccine also may not be as readily dispensible as other vaccines. Chronley explained that the vaccine, which is most commonly found in 10- and 50-dose vials, has a very short shelf life once it is mixed for use. Therefore, doctors may be less inclined to prepare the vaccine for individual patients, unless they have several people seeking it at the same time. Therefore, even though children generally receive other immunizations during routine office visits, doctors may have to schedule groups of patients together for the meningitis vaccine. The state is still seeking ways to get the vaccine to people in the 18-to-22 age group -- especially those attending college in Rhode Island. So the state may have to consider clinics or other programs to continue the vaccination efforts, Chronley said. The state recorded 24 to 25 cases of meningitis each in 1996 and 1997, including four cases in four weeks in Woonsocket in October 1996, when the state first ordered mass vaccinations for about 17,000 people. According to Health Department estimates, the 188,000 people vaccinated this year included nearly all children ages 5 to 14. An additional 65,000 young people 2 to 22 are eligible to receive the vaccine. This year's mass vaccination cost more than $5.1 million, according to a spokesman for the governor. Insurance companies paid the bulk of the bill, approximately $4.4 million, and the state paid nearly $600,000.