At look back at the 1980s, to ask if producers of Factor VIII, a treatment for Haemophiliacs, were aware that it was a potential carrier of Human Imunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A major ingredient of Factor VIII, is donated blood and during the 1980s, the majority of Factor VIII was produced in USA where donors were not screened and blood was not treated. Consequently, Factor VIII became contaminated with HIV & AIDS which, in turn, infected the Hemophiliacs who injected it. Armour Pharmaceuticals, a US Factor VIII producer, was aware of the dangers but ignored both their own research and warnings from the authorities to maintain profit margins. British Haemophiliacs who were infected by Armour Factor VIII and American experts who advised Armour of the dangers are interviewed.
2000 British Haemophilia patients have now died, after being injected with contaminated blood products, supplied by the NHS as a part of their medical care. Described as the 'worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS', the remaining surviviors and their widows have been struggling for help from successive governments, for over 20 years. This is growing collection of news items from this time. Please do subscribe to receive updates. If you have any connections with the media and access to older news and documentary footage from the 1970's and 1980's that could help to raise awareness of this issue, please do get in touch - thank you for reading.
The UK Contaminated Blood Disaster
2000 British Haemophilia patients have now died, after being injected with contaminated blood products, supplied by the NHS as a part of their medical care. Described as the 'worst treatment disaster in the hist...
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