Vaccines Interactions Research (Hansard, 1 April 2003)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)

The Ministry of Defence's vaccines interactions research programme is studying whether the combination of vaccines and nerve agent pre-treatment (NAPS) tablets used to protect United Kingdom personnel during the 1990–91 Gulf conflict can give rise to adverse health effects. The study involves four groups of 12 marmosets. One group was given the full range of vaccines which could have been administered during the 1990–91 Gulf conflict (anthrax, plague, pertussis, yellow fever, cholera, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, typhoid and meningitis); one was given pyridostigmine bromide, which is the active ingredient of NAPS; one was given both vaccines and pyridostigmine bromide, and the last was the control group, which received neither. The marmosets are being monitored over a period of 18 months and a number of indices, such as cognitive performance, EEG, sleep, endocrine functioning and immune responsiveness, are measured at regular intervals.

Preliminary results from the first three months of the study are now available and are being presented by means of scientific poster at the British Toxicological Society's annual conference at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. These preliminary results provide data on behaviour, sleep, EEG, body weight, cholinesterase inhibition and muscle function and indicate no apparent adverse health consequences three months following the administration of 'vaccine and/or pyridostigmine bromide. We have placed copies of the abstract and poster in the Library of the House. They will also be available on the Ministry of Defence's website.

In addition, preliminary immunology results will be reported at the 3rd international meeting of the Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccines Research from 12 to 16 April. Copies of the abstract and poster presentation will then be placed in the Library of the House and will be made available on the Ministry of Defence's website.

The study as a whole is due to complete in December 2003 and the results are expected to be published in the peer-reviewed scientific literature thereafter.