On 18 October, the Chair of the Independent Panel considered the published immunological results of the marmoset study in conference with expert immunologists from the Panel.
The group believed that the concept behind the study and the question it sought to address, namely would treatment with a combination of vaccines and a nerve agent cause adverse health effects, was valid and relevant.
On the suitability and design of the study, the group noted that an appropriate model had been used and that the design of experiments was well considered. The choice of primates for this study had been considered very carefully by the principal investigators and by the Independent panel. The view was that no other suitable models were available and that the use of primates in this instance was fully justified given the requirement to assess behavioural parameters in tandem with other measurements. The Group noted that to provide reassurance of human safety the investigations had been conducted using exaggerated doses of the relevant vaccines.
The group commended the conduct of the study, in particular the extremely high level of care and welfare measures employed, and the very high standards of the facilities used.
With respect to the results and conclusions, the group believed that the results had been described and interpreted carefully and thoroughly, and that analyses benefited from the use of independent statistical advice. The Group endorsed also the conclusions drawn from the investigation. Thus, although some small differences between groups had been observed, there were no biological important treatment-related effects. The Group noted that these investigations have now been accepted for publication in an international peer-reviewed journal
In summary, the group agreed that the study had addressed a valid question in a well designed and expertly conducted way, and that they were able to support the conclusion that the animals displayed no adverse health effects despite exposure to exaggerated doses of vaccines.