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August 2000
  Coeliac Society Position Statement

  BBC1 Watchdog Healthcheck Programme - August 14th

  Reported Development of Injections to Control the Coeliac Condition

  The television programme broadcast last night was extremely misleading
and used journalistic licence in referring to the imminent arrival of a
vaccine to control the effects of gluten on the intestine and therefore
alleviate the symptoms of Coeliac Disease and as such permit Coeliacs to
consume products containing gluten.


  We are aware of developments in research by Bob Anderson that the
Society has previously contributed to the funding of in Oxford. It is
considered that this progress might possibly, in the very long term,
lead to the development of a vaccine to control the reaction to gluten
in people with Coeliac Disease.


  It is very early days in the research and although initial results
have been promising, any new vaccine has to be field tested over an
extremely long period when developed. No vaccine has yet been developed
and there is no timetable for the development of it in the immediate
future.


  The Society will keep its members regularly informed of this and any
other developments in its regular reports on the research it funds and
from other projects, via the Web Site, our Email Mailing Lists and the
Crossed Grain Magazine, (the research developments referred to were
reported in detail in the Spring 2000 Edition).

  Terry Eccles
  Chief Executive