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Week Ending: September 17th, 2005
Alan Franciscus
Editor-in-Chief
To download pdf version click here
This Issue:
• Outcome of a Hep C Single Source Outbreak
• Doctor Spreads Hepatitis C
• RioTech Pharmaceuticals Raises GBP 3/4 Million in Private Financing Round
• Widow Returns to Road to Raise Awareness
• Road to Justice Can Take Many Years
• Stanford Licenses Gene for Hepatitis C Treatment
• Surgeon 'Defied Hepatitis C Ban'
• Consensus on Living Donors Focuses on Public Concerns
• Events in Capital Area Seek to Promote Hepatitis C Awareness
• Blood Drawn from Abuse Suspect
• Quilt Shows Victims of Hepatitis C's Silent Onslaught
• Teva Gets Tentative Generic Copegus OK
• 600 Patients of Bogus Dentist at Risk of HIV and Hepatitis
September 12th, 2005
Outcome of a Hep C Single Source Outbreak
SourceURL:http://www.gastrohep.com
In a cohort that received Hepatitis C-1b contaminated immunizations, the latest Journal of Hepatology reports that young women without comorbidity may clear Hepatitis C infection in most of the cases, and have a low risk of progression to cirrhosis.
The natural course of the Hepatitis C virus genotype 1b infection is still unclear but important for therapeutic decisions.
There are few unbiased long-term follow-up studies with known dates of infection.
Between 1978 and 1979, anti-D immunoglobulin had been administered to 2867 women for prophylaxis of rhesus isoimmunization.
Dr Manfred Wiesea and colleagues from Germany reported that 14 anti-D immunoglobulin batches were Hepatits C-1b contaminated.
The researchers rexamined 1980 women, representing 70% of the total cohort of 15 centers.
86% of affected women still tested positive for Hep C virus antibodies after 25 years – Journal of Hepatology
After application of the contaminated anti-D, the team noted that 93% of the recipients developed an acute Hepatitis C.
The researchers found that after 25 years, 86% of the 1833 affected women still tested positive for Hepatitis C virus antibodies and 46% for Hepatitis C RNA.
Only 9 had overt liver cirrhosis, whereas 30 women developed precirrhotic stages and 1 was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma.
The team found that 10 women died of Hepatitic C related complications, half of these related to additional comorbidity.
In addition, the researchers observed a continuous, but low increase of fibrotic scores in the last 5 years.
Dr Wiesea's team concluded, “Young women without comorbidity may clear Hepatitis C-1b infection in more than half of the cases, or develop mild chronic Hepatitis C.”
“We confirmed the low risk of progression to cirrhosis in this cohort within 25 years.”
J Hepatol 2005: 43(4): 590-8
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Doctor Spreads Hepatitis C
SourceURL:http://www.news24.com
Madrid - A prosecutor is seeking a 2,214-year jail term for a Spanish anaesthetist accused of infecting 276 patients with Hepatitis C between 1988 and 1998 in the eastern city of Valencia.
Four of the cases against him are for homicide as the patients died.
Juan Maeso, 63, who worked in two hospitals in Valencia and was a morphine addict, allegedly administered a portion of drugs intended for patients to himself and then injected the remainder of the syringe's contents into the patients.
He is believed to have infected 276 patients who underwent surgery with the hepatitis C virus, including 17 minors.
If found guilty, Maeso will face a maximum sentence of 24 years.
The trial is to begin on Monday and will last for at least a year, news reports said.
Besides the jail term, the prosecutor is seeking US$34.5m in damages, reports said.
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RioTech Pharmaceuticals Raises GBP 3/4 Million in Private Financing Round
SourceURL:http://www.newswire.ca
Funds to Drive Development of Novel Interferon Hepatitis Therapy
LONDON, Sept. 12 /CNW/ - RioTech Pharmaceuticals Limited (RioTech Pharma) today announced that it has successfully raised GBP750,000 (over $1.3 million) in a private financing round. The funds will drive the preclinical development of the Company's lead product, a novel interferon alpha-8 (IFN-alpha-8) chronic hepatitis C (CHC) therapy.
In antiviral assays, IFN-alpha-8 is over 1000-fold more potent than IFN-alpha-2 (an established CHC therapy). RioTech Pharma has perfected a commercially compatible system to produce recombinant IFN-alpha-8, and is now well financed to progress this product through the next phase of development. The funds will also advance a programme centred on the Company's small molecule target - an enzyme implicated in regulating the potency of the antiviral effect of IFNs.
Commenting on the financing round, Dr Mark Thursz, RioTech Pharma's CSO and Founder, said, 'We are delighted to have achieved our funding target in this private financing round. The funds will allow us to deliver on the preclinical objectives for our lead interferon product, and strengthen our position as we continue our discussions to secure partnership and licensing agreements for our hepatitis therapeutic products.'
The current standard of care for hepatitis C is the combination of pegylated interferons with ribavirin. However, this combination is ineffective in approximately 50% of patients and treatment is prolonged and associated with severe side effects, leading to poor patient compliance. Consequently, there is a clear clinical need for the development of novel IFNs with improved pharmacokinetics, enhanced efficacy and a lower rate of side effects.
About 80% of patients newly infected with hepatitis C virus progress to chronic infection. The World Health Organisation estimates that globally 170 million people, 3% of the world's population, are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus. Of those persons chronically infected, about 10-20% will progress to cirrhosis, and over a period of 20-30 years 1-5% will develop liver cancer. Unlike hepatitis B, there is no vaccine currently available to prevent hepatitis C virus infection.
RioTech Pharmaceuticals Limited
RioTech Pharmaceuticals (RioTech Pharma) is a London, UK, based biotechnology company developing innovative products in the field of viral hepatitis.
RioTech Pharma's lead product is an interferon alpha-8 (IFN-alpha-8) in development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC). In antiviral assays, IFN-alpha-8 is over 1000-fold more potent than IFN-alpha-2 (an established CHC therapy). The Company's product pipeline also includes a small molecule target - an enzyme implicated in regulating the potency of the antiviral effect of IFNs. The Company has developed an assay to screen for inhibitors of this enzyme, which would produce an enhanced host immune response against hepatitis C virus infected cells.
The Company is led by a globally experienced management team with extensive knowledge of the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, and has a strong patent position around the use of IFN-alpha-8 in the treatment of CHC.
RioTech Pharma was founded in August 2003 by key leaders in the field of hepatitis, Professors Howard Thomas, Graham Foster, Adrian Hill and Drs Mark Thursz and Peter Karayiannis, at Imperial College London and Oxford University. The Company is uniquely positioned to draw from their collective comprehensive understanding of hepatitis viral pathogenesis and patient immune system management of chronic viral infection.
For further information: please contact: RioTech Pharmaceuticals Limited, Dr Mark Thursz, Chief Scientific Officer, Tel: +44-207-594-3851, Email: m.thursz@riotechpharma.com
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Widow Returns to Road to Raise Awareness
SourceURL:http://www.joplinglobe.com
By John Hacker
Globe Staff Writer
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Deborah Simone is back on the road in her quest to touch all 48 contiguous states to raise awareness about the deadly disease hepatitis C.
Ten months after losing her husband, Paul Hagan, 62, to complications from hepatitis C, Simone returned to St. Louis on Sunday to finish the last 2,400 miles of her 10,000-mile journey alone. She walked the first 7,500 miles and 32 states with Hagan acting as a support crew driving a motor home, but she will complete the trip on a bicycle and alone.
"I have no support crew this time," Simone said. "Before Paul was there for me, he was sometimes three to five miles ahead, but he was always there. If I quit though, the disease wins, so this is up close and personal."
Simone and Hagan started their quest, they called the "Journey of Hope," on Sept. 11, 2002, with the goal of walking in each of the lower 48 states.
Joplin turned out to be the crossing point for the couple, the only community they passed through twice. They first came to Joplin up U.S. 71 from Arkansas on June 17, 2003, after having traveled 2,000 miles and 12 states.
Their journey came full circle on Aug. 9, 2004, when they came up Interstate 44 from Tulsa, Okla., pausing in Joplin after having traveled 8,000 miles in 31 states.
Hagan was hospitalized twice with complications from the hepatitis C twice during that trip.
The couple made it to Edwardsville, Ill., in September 2004 when Hagan had to be hospitalized again. Simone said he lingered for several days in a coma before she allowed the life-support machines keeping him alive to be turned off. He died on Nov. 12, 2004, the couple's 12th anniversary.
Simone and Hagan formed the "Journey of Hope" to raise public awareness of the impact of hepatitis C, a chronic liver disease caused by a virus.
Simone said the public is largely uninformed about hepatitis C despite the fact that nearly 5 million people in America are infected with the disease. There is no vaccination and no cure.
This time, a back injury will keep Simone from walking the last 16 states, but she can ride a bike and it will allow her to finish the trip more quickly, she said.
She said she plans to wrap up her trip in Washington, D.C., in mid-October.
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Road to Justice Can Take Many Years
SourceURL:http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk
Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail
HAYDN LEWIS, from Cardiff, is involved in a US lawsuit against the manufacturers of blood products in the USA.
He is one of more than 1,000 haemophiliacs who contracted HIV or Hepatitis C from contaminated US-manufactured blood products.
He and more than 600 other UK and Israeli citizens are seeking redress in US courts through lawsuits being conducted by an American law firm in the US and co-ordinated in the UK by Anderson Eden Solicitors.
These lawsuits have been going on for years with the end an elusive mirage, always moving out of reach.
There are lessons here for anyone considering taking action in the US.
Mr Lewis knows only too well the twists and turns of a lawsuit in the US.
His case began as part of a class action where, provided selected specimen cases are successful, everyone involved in the action is paid damages. But it evolved into what is termed in US attorney-speak a "mass tort litigation", where each case is judged individually.
Recently there has been a spate of stories in the press about US litigation relating to the drug Vioxx particularly the decision of a court in Texas against Merck, the manufacturer of Vioxx, to award damages of $US253m to the widow of a man who died after taking Vioxx.
What has not been so widely reported is that under Texas law the punitive element of the damages is automatically reduced making a total award for damages, should the jury's verdict survive the appeal process, of about $25.6m.
This story illustrates two points, firstly, that litigation in the US can be a complex process, and secondly, that sometimes it is difficult to get the full facts relating to such litigation.
While people whose lives have been adversely affected by Vioxx will rightly be looking to the US courts to provide justice, they would do well to consider the experiences of others who have gone before them.
Mr Lewis has two main messages for anyone contemplating Vioxx litigation in the US.
Firstly, have realistic expectations of what is going to happen - use a UK law firm that has experience of dealing with litigation in the US preferably involving large numbers of people.
He said, "I have been waiting for over 20 years for an explanation from the Department of Health and over three years for the conclusion of legal action in the USA, to get some answers and justice.
"My experience of justice in America is that it can be anything but speedy."
He also believes that support groups are vital and was a founder member of the Birchgrove Group that began in Cardiff but has since become a national group providing support for haemophiliacs who have contracted HIV.
He said, "Groups allow the dissemination of information and opinions in a forum where you know that the people that you talk to can relate to what you are going through. They take you out of your isolation and into contact with people who will understand you."
The bottom line in any personal injury legislation is that there is no guarantee that you will be compensated in full or at all.
As if to demonstrate the unpredictability of litigation in the US, Merck initially announced that it planned "to fight every case one by one", then nine days later it made a significant U-turn by announcing that it is considering settling some of the lawsuits primarily those involving patients who took Vioxx for more than 18 months and who had no other risk factors for heart attacks or strokes.
Denis Whalley, of Anderson Eden, said, "It is a travesty that people who thought that they were receiving treatment ended up in a worse situation and are now are being made to wait years for compensation.
"While litigation in the USA may appear attractive at first, anyone contemplating it should ensure that they fully understand what it is going to entail."
Anderson Eden can be contacted on 0870 887 9000
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September 13th, 2005
Stanford Licenses Gene for Hepatitis C Treatment
SourceURL:http://sanjose.bizjournals.com
Companies from Massachusetts and California have signed a joint licensing deal with Stanford University for a gene that could help treat hepatitis C.
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., (Nasdaq: ALNY) and Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Carlsbad, (Nasdaq: ISIS) announced on Tuesday that they inked the combined licensing agreement.
They'll gain co-exclusive access to Stanford research regarding a MicroRNA gene found to be needed to replicate the hepatitis C virus in mammalian cells.
Researchers hope the discovery could lead to treatments for hepatitis c, a viral infection of the liver that can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. Researchers estimate 170 people globally have hepatitis c infections. Vaccines don't exist yet to prevent the disease.
Alnylam announced on Sept. 7 that it had signed a multi-year alliance with Novartis AG that could be worth more than $700 million if the deal produces commercial products.
Alnylam and Novartis (NYSE: NVS) will work on developing RNAi therapies. RNAi is a natural process within cells that selectively silences genes, and Alnylam believes RNAi can treat disease by silencing genes that cause disease.
In the short term, Novartis will pay Alnylam $56.8 million, through cash and a purchase of 4.2 shares of Alnylam common stock.
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Surgeon 'Defied Hepatitis C Ban'
SourceURL:http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk
Rachel Williams
A Birmingham surgeon who had Hepatitis C put his patients at risk by carrying out invasive operations despite it being against Department of Health rules, the General Medical Council heard yesterday.
Mohammad Qamar Sarwar-Rana, of Kings Heath, is accused of serious professional misconduct over 18 procedures he either carried out or helped with, including circumcisions and a vasectomy, where his blood could have infected the patient, a hearing in London was told.
New guidelines issued by the Government in August 2002 banned health workers with Hepatitis C from carrying out exposure prone procedures - operations where there is a risk that injury to the worker could result in bare blood getting into the patient's open tissues.
But the GMC Fitness to Practice panel heard that Mr Sarwar-Rana was involved in the operations between August 19, 2002, and December 18, 2003, despite being Hepatitis C positive and in all but one case did not tell the consultant he was working with that he had the virus.
His behaviour in locum posts as a staff grade in urology at the King George hospital, Goodmayes, a senior health officer in urology at the Solihull Hospital, a registrar in general surgery at the Pilgrim Hospital, Lincolnshire and a registrar in urology at Bradford Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, was "inappropriate and misleading" it was alleged.
It was also not in his patients' best interests and a risk to their health, the panel was told.
Mr Sarwar-Rana admits he knew he had Hepatitis C between April 2001 and December 15 2003 and did not tell the consultants involved in the surgery.
He also accepts playing a role in all but one of the operations, but denied he had performed any exposure prone procedures.
A letter written defending his actions in autumn 2002 said he had not been aware of the guidelines "immediately" and in February that year he had indicated that he knew about them, the GMC heard.
Counsel for the GMC, Ian Stern, said he had gone on to perform operations at the Bradford hospital late in 2003 despite being forced to leave the Pilgrim Hospital before that after his condition was discovered.
Staff there found out he had Hepatitis C after he applied for a job as a permanent assistant in general surgery and gave a consultant surgeon, a Mr Absoud, documents about himself which contained the information.
"In going through them Mr Absoud saw a letter that indicated that the doctor had Hepatitis C."
Mr Stern said Mr Absoud immediately telephoned the doctor who did not deny having the virus.
The Human Resources Department was then contacted, but when a worker there spoke to Mr Sarwar-Rana he "thought that he could just carry on as before".
Mr Sarwar-Rana claimed the agencies he had got locum work through knew about his condition, the hearing was told.
But Mr Stern said it was "almost an irrelevant issue" because it was his responsibility to ensure that he did not carry out exposure prone procedures. Mr Sarwar-Rana denies serious professional misconduct.
The hearing continues.
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September 14th, 2005
Consensus on Living Donors Focuses on Public Concerns
SourceURL:http://www.gastrohep.com
Consensus points reported in the latest issue of Clinical Transplantation support work carried out by other transplant organizations, assist in advocating for living organ donors, and the concerns of the public.
In December 2002, a conference was held in Philadelphia to discuss public concerns about living organ transplantation.
The conference met with the goal of reaching a consensus about new strategies for such transplants.
The conference was hosted by the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Center for Bioethics.
A multidisciplinary group of leading experts and stakeholders was called to assess the current status of living donation.
The group suggested productive changes to ensure safer and more ethically sound procedures for both donors and recipients.
Prior to the meeting, the research team conducted literature reviews and extensive background research on living organ transplantation.
Consensus was reached on standardizing donor assessment, and a living donor registry – Clinical Transplantation
Summary briefs were prepared for all conference participants.
The researchers divided the issues into 4 subcategories; 2 or 3 experts led the discussion on each topic.
At the conclusion of the conference, the points raised were summarized and discussed.
Additional comments were offered before general agreement was reached on each subject.
The team reviewed transcribed minutes and summary statements and circulated among participants to allow for additional comments and clarification.
All feedback was incorporated into the statement, and a draft of the article was re-circulated.
The researchers reported that participants who have endorsed the statements agreed that the points represent the intent and spirit of the discussion.
Each participant reserved the right to disclaim the document in its entirety.
A consensus was reached to propose new strategies and make improvements on existing practices and protocols.
The researchers paid specific attention to the widely accepted needs of consistent and responsible communication with the public and press.
The team also focused on standardization in donor assessment, and a national living donor registry.
In addition, the researchers advocated new research on larger sample numbers and long-term donor follow-up.
The team from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania commented, “These consensus points support the work carried out by other advisory transplant organizations and should assist in advocating for living organ donors, the live donor transplant process and the concerns of the public.”
Clin Transplant 2005: 19(5): 581
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September 15th, 2005
Events in Capital Area Seek to Promote Hepatitis C Awareness
SourceURL:http://www.news10.net/
With perhaps 18,000 people in the Sacramento-area unaware they're carrying the potentially-deadly Hepatitis C virus, health volunteers are out in force today promoting awareness and treatment.
The "S.T.O.P. Hep C" task force was at eight Sacramento and Yolo county Rite Aid stores this afternoon to pass out literature about the disease. Hepatitis C is a communicable disease that gradually damages and can ultimately destroy the liver, often without the victim knowing he or she has the virus. It is primarily spread through blood contact, and new infections are the result of intravenous drug users sharing needles. Some carriers were infected while undergoing medical procedures prior to 1992, when blood and organ donations began being tested for Hepatitis C.
The task force wants to get the message out that up to half of those who have Hepatitis C can be cured and the disease can be managed for many others. One target population is Latinos. They're being encouraged to become involved in a University of California, Davis study that aims to determine if the same therapy that is successfully treating Caucasians will work for them.
"It's an opportunity for patients in the Latino community to receive free treatment," said Dr. Lorenzo Rossaro of UCD. "We are hoping we will receive telephone calls from patients who could participate in this treatment program."
The task force followed with a rally thisafternoon at the State Capitol to promote Hepatitis C awareness and state and local programs to help stop its spread.
There are an estimated 26,000 people with Hepatitis C in Sacramento and Yolo counties. Health investigators estimate that 18,400 don't know they have the disease.
About 1.9 percent of the U.S. population is believed to carry Hepatitis C. Since the disease is often misdiagnosed and can take 20 or 30 years to reach an advanced stage, about 70 percent of those who have it aren't aware of it. Then, the prognosis for surviving the disease is much lower than if caught early and treated.
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Blood Drawn from Abuse Suspect
SourceURL:http://www.sltrib.com
Michael N. Westley, The Salt Lake Tribune
Blood was drawn from an inmate at the Salt Lake County Jail last week in an effort to determine whether he passed hepatitis C to the young men he allegedly sexually abused.
The blood was drawn from 39-year-old Blaine Jay Tracy on Sept. 7 after a 3rd District Court judge ordered a search warrant that requested two vials of Tracy's blood. The results of the warrant were filed in court Tuesday.
Tracy, who owns the Lucky Dog Resort at 255 N. 400 West, has been charged with a host of felony violations this year which, according to the court documents, allege Tracy gave drugs or alcohol to, and may have sexually assaulted as many as, five victims.
Tracy was ordered to 36 months of probation in October for a conviction of writing bad checks, a third-degree felony. Jail records show Tracy was booked July 7 on an unrelated charge. Just a week later, Salt Lake City police issued an arrest warrant when he was charged with forcible sodomy, forcible sex abuse and dealing in harmful material to a minor.
Those charges coincide with narrative given in the search warrant in which two boys around the age of 15 told police that on separate occasions in July, Tracy gave them cocaine, showed pornographic movies and engaged in sexual acts with them.
Tracy was charged one month later with dealing harmful material to a minor for an alleged incident with a youth in February. On Sept. 7, Tracy was charged with two counts of sodomy and forcible sexual abuse when a boy, whose age is not given in court records, told police that he was assaulted by Tracy in February at the Lucky Dog Resort after working for him. The search warrant states that Tracy gave the boy some pills that made him feel numb and then sexually assaulted him, despite the boy's protests.
On Aug. 25, during an examination pursuant to the alleged abuse, doctors found hepatitis C in the boy's blood.
Investigators hope the test will determine whether Tracy is responsible for the crimes and also help the other alleged victims take precautions against the disease, according to the search warrant.
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September 16th, 2005
Quilt Shows Victims of Hepatitis C's Silent Onslaught
SourceURL:http://www.detnews.com
Betty DeRamus / The Detroit News
Daredevil motorcyclist Evel Knievel fought it. Actress Pamela Anderson told the world she has it.
So do some 4 million other Americans, including Pam Sienkiewicz of Milford.
No, I'm not talking about the high-profile disease known as AIDS. Hepatitis C, the liver-damaging virus that Sienkiewicz, 58, caught during a Caesarean section blood transfusion in 1979, is a more low-key killer.
Still, between 8,000 and 10,000 Americans die from it annually, compared with the nearly 16,000 Americans who died from AIDS in 2002.
Sometimes, hepatitis C sickens its victims quickly, and sometimes it slumbers for decades before striking.
Sienkiewicz wasn't diagnosed until 2001, when she began sweating and throwing up violently and requested blood tests.
Nowadays, the blood-borne virus is mostly spread by intravenous drug users sharing needles, through homemade tattoos and piercings, shared razors and possibly sex, though no one is sure how often that happens.
Yet there are people living with this virus who claim they've never used drugs and didn't get transfusions in the days before a test had been perfected to screen blood donors for the virus.
This is why the quilts matter.
At noon tomorrow, four rug-size hepatitis C awareness quilts will go on display in Farmington Hill's Heritage Park on Farmington Road.
They'll remain there for several hours. They'll be displayed again on Sunday, Sept. 25, starting at 9 a.m. at Belleville's Lower Huron Metro Park.
If you happen to see them, take a good look at the faces, names and dates of diagnosis on the patches. Some patches came from people living with hepatitis C. Others came from the relatives of those who died with it.
The patches were sewn together by Marie Stern, a California woman who believes she contracted the virus in 1978 and auto-immune hepatitis several years later.
"It can be hidden for decades," she says of the disease. "You wouldn't even know it. I thought I had the flu for four months, went to a doctor and he said, 'Oh, by the way, you have chronic hepatitis C.'
"Of course, my world shattered. At that time, they hardly knew anything about it and you were given a death sentence of a year and a half -- or that's how you felt.
"You can have it for decades and not know it and pass it on to people without realizing it."
Stern, 56, says she's never used drugs or had a transfusion or tattoos. She believes she might have been infected during dental work performed decades ago, or even from a manicure.
She and Sienkiewicz want people to get tested for hepatitis C even if they're feeling well or have only vague symptoms such as extreme fatigue, nausea, liver pain or depression.
They also want as many people as possible to see the hepatitis C quilts and ponder messages of faith and courage from people who fought back.
Betty DeRamus' column runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday in Metro. Reach her at (313) 222-2296 or bderamus@ detnews.com.
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Teva Gets Tentative Generic Copegus OK
SourceURL:http://biz.yahoo.com
Teva Receives Tentative FDA Approval for Generic Version of Roche Hepatitis C Drug
NEW YORK (AP) -- Israeli drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. said Friday it received tentative approval from the Food and Drug Administration to market its ribavirin tablets, the generic equivalent of Roche's Copegus hepatitis C treatment.
The company said final approval is expected once brand exclusivity expires in December.
Copegus is indicated for use in combination with peginterferon alfa-2a for treatment of adults with chronic hepatitis C virus infection who have compensated liver disease and have not been previously treated with interferon alpha.
The brand product has annual sales of about $206 million.
Teva's American depositary receipts fell 35 cents to $32.90 in midday trading on the Nasdaq.
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600 Patients of Bogus Dentist at Risk of HIV and Hepatitis
http://society.guardian.co.uk/
Audrey Gillan
· Fraudster may not have sterilised instruments
· Health authorities offer check-ups and blood tests
Almost 600 patients of a fake dentist who drilled cavities and did extractions for nearly 18 months without training or qualification were asked yesterday to come forward for blood tests and dental check-ups.
Omid Amidi-Mazaheri, an Iranian refugee, operated on patients at dental practices in Norbury, Tulse Hill and East Dulwich, all in south London, without having trained or qualified as a dentist in the UK.
He was jailed for two years in March after patients told Southwark crown court that they were often in great pain as he drilled out cavities without local anaesthetic and put in fillings that crumbled within days.
Health chiefs now want to arrange blood tests for patients after concerns that the bogus dentist might not have followed infection control procedures, putting patients at risk of hepatitis B and C and HIV infection.
The court heard how Amidi-Mazaheri, who also stole the identity of a fellow dentist who recently died, became rich from carrying out complex treatments using syringes, probes and drills without training or medical insurance.
One patient described how he dropped a piece of dental equipment down his throat while trying to give an injection. He claimed that he had trained as a dentist in Iran, but the judge believed this to have been unlikely.
Jailing Amidi-Mazaheri, Judge Paul Dodgson said: "Any patient who entered the premises where you carried out your practices would have been at least alarmed to know that the person he entrusted his dental health to was not registered, not insured and not fully qualified."
Amidi-Mazaheri pleaded guilty to five sample counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception. His fellow fraudster, Mogjan Azari, admitted four similar offences and was sentenced to 12 months.
Yesterday, Lambeth, Croydon and Southwark primary care trusts sent letters to 599 patients alerting them to the possibility that they may have picked up a blood infection while in the fraudster's surgery.
"Because Mr Amidi-Mazaheri is not a UK registered dentist we cannot be sure that his dental work was good enough or that he followed infection control standards. For example, he may have used instruments that were not properly sterilised," says the letter, which goes on to offer a check-up and a blood test to patients in order to screen for HIV and hepatitis B and C.
"We would like to stress that the risk of being infected during a dental procedure is very small. But we cannot rule this out without doing the blood test as a precautionary measure."
Amidi-Mazaheri was caught out following an investigation by the NHS dental fraud team and Scotland Yard. The former lab technician arrived in the UK in 1998 and began working in a south London dental surgery in 2002.
His co-accused, Azari, a qualified dentist, began to let him operate on her patients and then when he began to work elsewhere would refer her patients on to him. The pair, who had an affair, are estimated to have made £120,000 from their scheme.
Amidi-Mazaheri, of East Dulwich, spent his fraudulent earnings on designer suits and a top-of-the-range Mercedes sports car. On internet dating sites he boasted that he lived a life of luxury, posting pictures of himself in his dentist's outfit.
In April 2003 he set up a practice with an elderly dentist, Johannes Kidane, who died of a stroke in January 2004. After that, Amidi-Mazaheri introduced himself to health inspectors as Mr Kidane and used his identity whenever it suited him.
Yesterday, a spokesman for the three primary care trusts explained why it had taken so long to warn patients that they might be infected.
He said: "It was a complex and large operation. It took a long time to identify the patients we believe had been seen by this man. We had to go into all sorts of records. then there's the process of setting up the phone lines, the service systems and setting up the clinics for the next four weeks."
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