The IHS was given inaccurate information about blood products, the Lindsay Tribunal has heard. The Tribunal was told that members of the Irish Haemophilia Society were inaccurately informed that all blood products would be heat treated to inactivate HIV from early 1985. Shay Farrelly, who was on the IHS board from 1981 to 1985, said that the IHS gave the inaccurate information to its members via a newsletter based on a letter from Professor Ian Temperley.
Professor Temperley stated in his letter that imported blood products were going to be heat treated. He added that his National Haemophilia Treatment Centre had "advised" that home produced products should also be heat treated.
IHS members, on the basis of this information, were informed that "all factor concentrates used in Ireland will be heat treated from the beginning of 1985". The Tribunal has already heard how "unheat-treated" blood products continued to be issued by the Blood Transfusion Service through out the year.
Gerry Durcan, SC for the Tribunal, asked Mr Farrelly if Professor Temperley would have seen the IHS newsletter before it was posted out to members. Mr Farrelly said "yes". Professor Temperley has already told the Tribunal that he believed the BTS was heat treating its product and only found out this was not the case later in the year.
