At their meeting in Maryland on January 13
2000, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Xenotransplant Subcommittee,
reviewed, among other things, proposed guidelines to indefinitely defer
blood and plasma donations from xenotransplant recipients and their
close contacts. Alix Fano, Director of the Campaign for Responsible
Transplantation (CRT) comments:
"The mere fact that these guidelines are being proposed, demonstrates
that xenotransplantation poses a threat to the public health. The FDA
admits that xenotransplantation could spread known and unknown diseases
to humans. It admits that, if these viruses got into the blood supply,
it would be disastrous. And yet the new blood guidelines prove that
FDA has failed to correct problems which jeopardized its ability to
protect the nation’s blood supply in the 1980s [when people received
HIV-tainted blood and blood products].
"In the CRT’s view, the FDA’s xenotransplant policy is
based on containment, rather then prevention of infectious diseases.
Xenotransplantation is causing a mountain of problems and extra work
for numerous branches and agencies of the federal government. We are
concerned that the FDA has already failed to provide oversight for human
tissues infected with HIV; it was cited for weak oversight of tracking
and recall systems for defective medical devices and medical implants;
and in 1996, it approved the use of a bioengineered plasma product that
transmitted hepatitis A to hemophiliacs...If the FDA was truly interested
in protecting the blood supply and the public health, it would ban xenotransplantation
immediately."
The CRT is an international coalition of 80 public interest groups opposing
animal-to-human organ, cell and tissue transplants (xenotransplants).
Visit them at www.crt-online.org
Jeff Getty, an AIDS patient and ACT UP/Golden Gate activist, received
an experimental transplant on December 14, 1995 in San Francisco. Getty,
who was then in his mid 1930s and moving into advanced AIDS, received
an injection of baboon bone marrow in the hope that it would colonize
his own bones and eventually create a population of immune cells in
his system that would not be not affected by HIV.
At first, Getty’s health improved, although this could have been
a temporary consequence of other treatments he received at the same
time. "I had been at death’s door," he said, "But
I got one pretty good year out of it." He has kept his weight up
with the help of human growth hormone and anabolic steroids, and has
taken several experimental medications to slow the virus’ attack.
Some authorities fear that wide use of animal organs could introduce
new viruses or other microbes into people, possibly spawning epidemics
against which modern medicine and natural human immunology would have
few defenses. In addition, xenotransplant survivors may unwittingly
introduce such viruses to the blood supply by donating their blood.
Getty describes as ‘unethical’ the situation that someone
may have to die because they cannot receive a xenotransplant for fear
of introducing an animal disease into the human population. Getty, who
continues to live with AIDS, said that his experience turned him into
a crusader for animal-to-human transplants. His goal has been to break
down what he calls the psychological and irrational fears on the part
of many people. Satya spoke with Getty in February, and he confirmed
his continuing support of xenotransplantation, and added that he is
living proof that it is safe. He said "I believe it’s human
centrism—the idea that we are superior to all other species—that
makes people think we are corrupting ourselves by receiving transplants
from other animals." Since people with HIV/AIDS are normally not
allowed to receive human organ transplants, Getty believes that the
inclusion of animal organs in the supply would alleviate this shortage.
