Biologics Control Act

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Biologics Control Act of 1902
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Long titleAn Act to regulate the sale of viruses, serums, toxins, and analogous products in the District of Columbia; to regulate interstate traffic in said articles, and for other purposes.
NicknamesVirus-Toxin Law
Enacted bythe 57th United States Congress
EffectiveJuly 1, 1902
Citations
Public law 57-244
Statutes at Large 32  Stat.   728, Chapter 1378
Legislative history

The Biologics Control Act of 1902, also known as the Virus-Toxin Law, was the first law that implemented federal regulations of biological products such as vaccines in the United States. [1] It was enacted in response to two incidents involving the deaths of 22 children who had contracted tetanus from contaminated vaccines. [2] This law paved the way for further regulation of drug products under the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938. Biologics control is now under the supervision of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). [3]

Contents

History

The Marine Hospital, Staten Island, N.Y. In 1887, National Institute of Health began as a single room Laboratory of Hygiene for bacteriological investigation established by the U.S. Marine Hospital Service at Stapleton, Staten Island, New York. From 1887 to 1891, the Laboratory was located in the attic of the Marine Hospital on Staten Island. Marine Hospital Service Stapleton Staten Island 19thcentury.gif
The Marine Hospital, Staten Island, N.Y. In 1887, National Institute of Health began as a single room Laboratory of Hygiene for bacteriological investigation established by the U.S. Marine Hospital Service at Stapleton, Staten Island, New York. From 1887 to 1891, the Laboratory was located in the attic of the Marine Hospital on Staten Island.

When the large scale production of vaccines and anti-toxin serum began in the late 19th century, the United States had no government regulations on biological products. [4] In 1901, a 5-year-old girl died of tetanus in St. Louis, Missouri, after being given a diphtheria anti-toxin. Investigations found that the St. Louis Board of Health produced the contaminated anti-toxin using the blood of a horse infected with tetanus. While the infected horse, Jim, was killed, the Board of Health continued to use the serum to treat diphtheria. It was later discovered that 12 other children had died from the same contaminated anti-toxin serum in St. Louis. That same year, nine children in Camden, New Jersey, died from contaminated smallpox vaccines. [5] These incidents led the Hygienic Laboratory and the Medical Society of the District of Columbia to propose a law regulating the production of biological products. On July 1, 1902, Congress passed the Biologics Control Act. [4]

Contents of the Act

The Biologics Control Act established a board to oversee the implementation of regulations of biological products. The board consisted of the Surgeon-General of the Army, the Surgeon-General of the Navy, and the Surgeon-General of the Marine Hospital Service, and was to be overseen by the Secretary of the Treasury. This board was given the power to issue, suspend, and revoke licenses to produce and sell biological products. The Biologics Control Act also mandated that all products be labeled accurately with the name of the product and the address and license number of the manufacturer. [4] Laboratories could be subjected to unannounced inspections by the Treasury Department. [6] The punishment for the violation of this law was a fine of up to $500 or up to a year in prison.

Institutions

The Laboratory of Hygiene of the Marine Hospital Service, established on Staten Island, NY, in 1887, was in charge of testing biologics before the Biologics Control Act. It was moved to Washington, D.C., in 1891, and renamed the Hygienic Laboratory of the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service in 1902. [2] The Hygienic Laboratory was responsible for renewing licenses annually, testing products, and performing inspections. In 1930, the Ransdell Act transformed the Hygienic Laboratory into the National Institute of Health and gave it a larger role in public health research. [7] In 1948, the name was changed again to the National Institutes of Health, as it encompassed many institutes and centers dedicated to biomedical research. In 1972, biologics regulation was moved to the Food and Drug Administration and later became known as the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER).

Impact

The Biologics Control Act set a precedent for the federal regulation of biologics such as vaccines and blood components. [3] With the development of biotechnology, the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) has taken a larger role in reviewing and approving new biological products intended for medical purposes, including probiotics, xenotransplantation and gene therapy. [8]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diphtheria</span> Bacterial disease

Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks the lethality rate approaches 10%. Signs and symptoms may vary from mild to severe and usually start two to five days after exposure. Symptoms often develop gradually, beginning with a sore throat and fever. In severe cases, a grey or white patch develops in the throat, which can block the airway and create a barking cough similar to what is observed in croup. The neck may also swell in part due to the enlargement of the facial lymph nodes. Diphtheria can also involve the skin, eyes or genitals, and can cause complications including myocarditis, inflammation of nerves, kidney problems, and bleeding problems due to low levels of platelets.

Health Canada is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for national health policy. The department itself is also responsible for numerous federal health-related agencies, including the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), among others. These organizations help to ensure compliance with federal law in a variety of healthcare, agricultural, and pharmaceutical activities. This responsibility also involves extensive collaboration with various other federal- and provincial-level organizations in order to ensure the safety of food, health, and pharmaceutical products—including the regulation of health research and pharmaceutical manufacturing/testing facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DPT vaccine</span> Class of combination vaccines

The DPT vaccine or DTP vaccine is a class of combination vaccines against three infectious diseases in humans: diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. The vaccine components include diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and either killed whole cells of the bacterium that causes pertussis or pertussis antigens. The term toxoid refers to vaccines which use an inactivated toxin produced by the pathogen which they are targeted against to generate an immune response. In this way, the toxoid vaccine generates an immune response which is targeted against the toxin which is produced by the pathogen and causes disease, rather than a vaccine which is targeted against the pathogen itself. The whole cells or antigens will be depicted as either "DTwP" or "DTaP", where the lower-case "w" indicates whole-cell inactivated pertussis and the lower-case "a" stands for "acellular". In comparison to alternative vaccine types, such as live attenuated vaccines, the DTP vaccine does not contain the pathogen itself, but rather uses inactivated toxoid to generate an immune response; therefore, there is not a risk of use in populations that are immune compromised since there is not any known risk of causing the disease itself. As a result, the DTP vaccine is considered a safe vaccine to use in anyone and it generates a much more targeted immune response specific for the pathogen of interest. However, booster doses are recommended every ten years to maintain immune protection against these pathogens.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toxoid</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1901 diphtheria antitoxin contamination incident</span>

On October 2, 1901, a former milk wagon horse named Jim showed signs that he had contracted tetanus and was euthanized. He was used to produce serum containing diphtheria antitoxin. Jim produced over 30 US quarts of diphtheria antitoxin in his career. After the death of a girl in St. Louis, Missouri, was traced back to Jim's contaminated serum, it was discovered that serum dated September 30 contained tetanus in its incubation phase. This contamination could have easily been discovered if the serum had been tested prior to its use. Furthermore, samples from September 30 had also been used to fill bottles labeled "August 24", while actual samples from the 24th were shown to be free of contamination.

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Diphtheria antitoxin (DAT) is a medication made up of antibodies used in the treatment of diphtheria. It is no longer recommended for prevention of diphtheria. It is given by injection into a vein or muscle.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diphtheria vaccine</span> Vaccine against diphtheria

Diphtheria vaccine is a toxoid vaccine against diphtheria, an illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Its use has resulted in a more than 90% decrease in number of cases globally between 1980 and 2000. The first dose is recommended at six weeks of age with two additional doses four weeks apart, after which it is about 95% effective during childhood. Three further doses are recommended during childhood. It is unclear if further doses later in life are needed.

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References

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  2. 1 2 Milstien, Julie B. (2004). "Regulation of Vaccines: Strengthening the Science Base". Journal of Public Health Policy. 25 (2): 173–189. doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jphp.3190016 . PMID   15255384. S2CID   6219580.
  3. 1 2 "Selections From FDLI Update Series on FDA History - Biologics Centennial: 100 Years of Biologics Regulation". www.fda.gov. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  4. 1 2 3 Parascandola, John (November–December 1995). "The Public Health Service and the Control of Biologics". Public Health Reports. 110 (6): 774–775. PMC   1381822 . PMID   8570833.
  5. "Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research History - The Road to the Biotech Revolution - Highlights of 100 Years of Biologics Regulation". www.fda.gov. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  6. Kennedy, Donald (November–December 1978). "The Food and Drug Administration and the Backward Motion toward the Source". Public Health Reports. 93 (6): 607–615. PMC   1431953 . PMID   362468.
  7. "The National Institute of Health". Science. New Series, Vol. 72, No. 1861: 214–215. August 29, 1930.
  8. Research, Center for Biologics Evaluation and. "About the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER)". www.fda.gov. Retrieved 2017-05-05.