Todd Smith, 1962 – 2012
We have lost a friend. Todd Smith was such a positive, helpful and humorous person. We will miss him.
Todd had hemophilia. For many years he used BAYER factor medications. This medicine infected him – and thousands more – with HIV and hepatitis C. However, this catastrophe was preventable: BAYER refused to use existing viral inactivation technology on factor products. Even when BAYER later on had a virally inactivated product, the company told its distributors to make sure they sold the old medicine before the new. Money won out over safety.
Todd was one of the most important activists who exposed BAYER´s responsibility and fought for compensation. This is what he said in the BAYER shareholder meeting, in front of the Bayer board and thousands of shareholders: “As long as profits are more important than safety, lives will be lost. Thousands of dead hemophiliacs are testament to this fact. Read his complete speech here.
Here is a sensitive tribute by his friend Moya Watson: http://moyawatson.com/2012/08/13/too-big-to-fail-todd-smith-david-powell-blood-beyond-bayer
more information:
=> Video “Bayer rat of the week
=> Bayer, Baxter pay multimillion idemnity
=> NY Times: 2 Paths of Bayer Drug in 80’s: Riskier One Steered Overseas
