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April 09, 2003

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Vaccine Deal 'Unconnected' With Gift to Labour"

Financial Times (www.ft.com) (04/09/03) P. 11; Timmins, Nicholas

Britain's National Audit Office (NAO) concludes that PowderJect CEO Paul Drayson's 100,000 pound donation to the Labour Party was not responsible for the company being chosen by the government for a lucrative smallpox vaccine contract.  The watchdog says that the company was picked before the Department of Health was aware of the financial contribution from Drayson. PowderJect was the only firm that could supply the Lister strain of the vaccine, the strain requested by the government, within the necessary time period, according to the NAO.  The agency does chide the government for not being clearer about the strain and timeframe that it desired.

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