Battle brewing over mercury in vaccines

CHILE has become the first developing country to make a commitment to stop the use of mercury in vaccines, according to a US-based lobby group, the Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs (CoMeD).

The coalition wants to see the use of mercury phased out of drug and vaccine manufacturing.

The announcement coincided with a Geneva meeting of a WHO committee to discuss international moves to replace preservative-containing multidose vials with preservative-free single-use vaccines.

The meeting heard that banning thimerosal would cost developing nations millions of dollars and there was no real research and development pipeline on alternative preservatives.

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