The podcast explores the investigation into contaminated blood products, the collaboration between government departments, and the inquiry announcement. It also discusses the dangers of plasma collection, life inside Angola prison, and the shocking prison plasma scandal.
The government's destruction of crucial documents and the schoolboy-like web of deceit surrounding the infected blood scandal
Pharmaceutical companies' sourcing of plasma from high-risk areas and the devastating consequences on victims and the industry
Deep dives
The Disturbing Process of Plasma Collection
The podcast episode delves into the process of plasma collection and highlights the shocking practices involved. A leaked video obtained by lawyer Tom Marl reveals the inner workings of a pharmaceutical company that manufactured Factor 8, a product used by hemophiliacs. The video showcases workers in moon suits handling plasma-filled leaders, which are then sliced and emptied into large stainless steel barrels. The resulting substance, resembling pond scum, is subjected to a spinning process that separates different molecules to produce products such as Factor 8 and Factor 9. Each dose of Factor 8 contains the blood of tens of thousands of donors, presenting a grave risk if even a single infected donation is mixed in.
The Alleged Cover-Up and Destruction of Evidence
Des Collins, a British lawyer representing those infected by blood products, claims that the government engaged in a cover-up and destroyed crucial documents. Former Health Minister David Owen's plan for self-sufficiency in British blood products was derailed, and when he later requested his ministerial papers, he was told they had been destroyed. Additionally, key medical records and correspondence between the Hemophilia Society and the Department of Health have mysteriously gone missing. Des Collins likens the government's actions to a schoolboy telling multiple lies to cover up previous falsehoods, leading to a complex web of deceit.
The Groundbreaking Legal Action and Discovery of Damning Evidence
Jason, a victim's son, met lawyers Des Collins and Danny Holliday, sparking a legal action against the Department of Health. Accusing them of misfeasance in public office, the group amassed over 500 clients. The lawyers discovered compelling evidence, including documents from 1983 warning of the risk of AIDS transmission through blood products. However, the government denied the existence of these documents, claiming they were destroyed. Jason also uncovered the existence of a secretive clearing house within the Cabinet Office, which screened freedom of information requests, possibly resulting in delays and denial of information.
The Role of Pharma Companies and Global Impact
The podcast explores the culpability of pharmaceutical companies in the infected blood scandal. American companies, such as Baxter, Bayer, Alpha, and Armor, sourced plasma for factor 8 production from high-risk areas. These included impoverished neighborhoods, gay communities, and prisons, where individuals with hepatitis and HIV were encouraged to donate plasma. Shockingly, the companies made no effort to remove viruses from the collected plasma, resulting in infected products. The scale of the global impact is staggering, with over 70,000 deaths worldwide and thousands of hemophiliacs infected. Lawyers Tom and Lorraine Mul, who handled similar cases in the US, reveal the devastating consequences for victims and the multi-billion dollar industry that perpetuated these practices.
If you knock on enough doors, eventually one will open. Tireless investigators trace the infected blood from the arms of people with haemophilia back to the room where it all began – in that American prison.
