Summary

Before and after the Persian Gulf War, the Defense Department (DOD) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) used adjuvant formulations of squalene a substance found in shark liver oil, some vegetable oils, and the human liver" to help develop more effective vaccines. DOD officials said that they considered, but decided against, using vaccines with experimental adjuvant formulations during the Gulf War. According to independent researchers, as part of their treatment of sick Gulf War veterans, they developed and administered a test, known as an assay, that detected antibodies to squalene in the blood of these veterans. As of March 1999, the research had been subjected to peer review, but had not been published. This process is often lengthy, sometimes taking a year or more. The military could develop such an assay inexpensively and test it on a sample of sick Gulf War veterans, according to DOD officials. However, DOD plans to wait until the research is published before deciding whether to do testing. Given the researchers' assessment, DOD's comments about the feasibility of developing an assay, and that veterans have been waiting for seven years for answers on the nature and the origin of their illnesses, DOD now has an opportunity to expand on the research already done.

GAO noted that: (1) prior to and following the Gulf War, DOD and NIH used adjuvant formulations of squalene to perform research on the development of more effective vaccines; (2) DOD officials stated they considered, but decided against, using vaccines with experimental adjuvant formulations during the Gulf War; (3) according to independent researchers, as part of their treatment of sick Gulf War-era veterans, they developed and administered a test, referred to as an assay, that detected antibodies to squalene in the blood of sick Gulf War-era veterans; (4) the researchers stated this assay is similar to a standard assay used in other types of research; (5) as of March 1999, the research has been subjected to peer review, but had not been published; (6) this process is often lengthy, sometimes taking a year or more; (7) according to DOD officials, DOD could develop such an assay inexpensively and test it on a sample of sick Gulf War-era veterans; (8) however, DOD plans to wait until the research is published before deciding whether to conduct testing; and (9) given the researchers' assessment, DOD's comments about the feasibility of developing an assay and that veterans have been waiting for the past 7 years for answers on the nature and origin of their illnesses, DOD has the opportunity to expand on the research already performed.