Courts / Kildare / Report

HPRA joined as defendant in Swine Flu vaccine action

Date
2017-10-05

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Naas

County
Kildare

Summary

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has been joined as a defendant in a personal injury action brought by Aoife Bennett, who claims she suffered narcolepsy and cataplexy after receiving the Pandemrix swine flu vaccine in 2009. Ms Bennett is one of approximately 70 plaintiffs suing the Minister for Health, the HSE, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). In a trial-stage procedural application, the Master of the High Court, Mr Edmund Honohan SC, granted permission to add the HPRA to the case. Ms Bennett's solicitor, Gillian O'Connor, stated that the application followed the discovery of 4,500 documents from GSK, which allegedly revealed that the former Irish Medicines Board possessed safety data showing Pandemrix had adverse effect rates up to seven times higher than a similar Canadian-made vaccine, Arepanrix. It is alleged that the HPRA breached its duty of care by failing to adequately monitor the vaccine's safety or inform the public of these risks, despite public brochures claiming the vaccine was safe and well-tested. The HPRA was not represented at the hearing but stated in correspondence that it does not admit any culpability. The matter remains ongoing as discovery processes continue regarding the authority's handling of the safety records.