§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what work her Department is currently undertaking to develop a measles and rubella vaccine which is not dependent on a strain developed from cells front an aborted foetus.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe Department does not undertake vaccine development. MRCS, the cell culture in which the rubella vaccine is prepared, is used worldwide and no further foetal material has been involved since its development in 1966. Industry is not, as far as we are aware, seeking other culture media. However, there are many research groups actively investigating the application of new technologies such as the use of recombinant proteins for vaccine development. Such new vaccines may not require viruses to be grown in present cell culture methods.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the foetus, whose cells were used to develop the vaccine against measles and rubella being used in the current campaign to vaccinate all school children, had been aborted.
§ Mr. SackvilleAll rubella vaccines, including the rubella vaccine being used in the measles and rubella schools immunisation campaign, are grown in cell culture whose cells are called MRC5. This cell line was developed from a small number of cells taken from a single foetus in 1966 and the cells have grown and replicated since and been used widely for growing viruses. The termination of pregnancy was carried out on medical grounds in a national health service hospital. No further foetal material has been involved since 1966. The vaccine is highly purified and does not contain any foetal tissue.900W There is no question of use of this vaccine enabling anyone to profit from a termination of pregnancy.
Measles vaccine is prepared on chick embryo tissue.