Timeline

Retractable Syringes – Timeline of developments

 

March 1996                 [Australia] Michael Wooldridge elected into parliament and appointed health minister

May 1998                    [Australia] On 5 May Dr Wooldridge and his department decided that only MRI machines purchased or on order by the upcoming budget day, 12 May would be eligible for medicare payments. Clearly any group not already owning MRI machines would be seriously disadvantaged. On 6 May Dr Wooldridge met with the College of Radiologists. What is clear is that radiologists walked away from that meeting with an understanding of what Wooldridge’s measure to contain costs would be. By the 12 May 1998 budget day there were over 50 additional MRI machines on order.
 

June 1998                    [Global] Delegates to the UN General Assembly 20th Special Session on drugs pledged to eliminate or significantly reduce drug-trafficking and drug-use by 2008.

 

June 1998                    [USA] Clateo Castellini, then CEO of BD, wrote a letter to all members of the US Congress calling on them to mandate the use of retractable syringes in US health care settings. 

 

October 1999              [Australia] The Michael Wooldridge MRI scandal erupts after the Federal opposition obtain information and call for a Royal Commission and demand the resignation of the minister.

 

Nov 1999                    [Australia] The Australian National Council on AIDS, Hepatitis C and Related Diseases (ANCAHRD) was established on 8 November 1999 as the Federal Government’s peak advisory body on Australia’s response to and management of these diseases.

 

January 2000                [USA] Edward Ludwig named CEO of BD.

 

May 2000                    [Australia] Auditor-General’s report into the MRI scam absolves Michael Wooldridge of any responsibility for the leak.

 

July 2000                     [Australia] Ministerial Council of Drug Strategy (MCDS) sets up Retractable Syringes Sub-Committee to develop options paper and cost benefit analysis on retractable syringes.

 

October 2000              [USA] 03rd October - Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

 

October 2000              [USA] 26th October - Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, unanimously passed the U.S. Senate.

 

November 2000           [USA] President Clinton signs the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act (H.R.5178, S.3067) mandating revisions to the 1991 Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. Retractable syringes will now be compulsory in US healthcare settings by 2007.

 

June 2001                    [Global] The UN General Assembly on AIDS endorsed efforts to reduce HIV transmission which included the establishment of needle and syringe programs (NSPs).

 

June 2001                    [Australia] MCDS receives options paper and cost benefit analysis on retractable syringes and takes the ‘next step’ of developing a feasibility report on a trial of retractable syringes.

 

Sep 2001                     [Australia] Michael Wooldridge announces he will not stand for election at the upcoming federal government election. He approves a $5million grant to the Royal Australian College of General Practice.

 

Nov 2001                    [Australia] Prime Minister announces retractable syringes as an “election promise”.

 

Nov 2001                    [Australia] The Liberal Party wins the federal government election. Senator Kay Patterson is appointed as health minister.

 

Feb 2002                     [USA] Edward Ludwig elected Chairman of BD.

 

Jan 2002                      [Australia] Michael Wooldridge complains to the Department of Health and Ageing after he was disconnected from the parliamentary email connection. He is reconnected. Michael Wooldridge is appointed as a consultant for the Royal Australian College of General Practice.

 

Feb 2002                     [Australia] The Senate Estimates Committee hear evidence that Michael Wooldridge is still accessing his parliamentary email account.

 

Feb 2002                     [Australia] Federal Health Minister Kay Patterson announces $27.5 million over four years for development and implementation of retractable needles and syringes for diabetics, injecting drug users and the health care setting.

 

Mar 2002                     [Australia] Michael Wooldridge is permanently disconnected from the parliamentary email system.

 

April 2002                    [Australia] Feasibility report on trial of retractable syringes delivered to MCDS.

 

July 2002                     [Australia] The RACGP terminate Michael Wooldridge’s contract.

 

Sept 2002                    [Australia] “Request for Information” from interested manufacturers of retractable syringes.

 

Nov 2002                    [Australia] Unitract list on the Australian stock exchange.

 

Dec 2002                     [Australia] Government undertakes a National Consultation Process including a meeting with state and territory government representatives, stakeholder forums in each capital city with separate meetings for each of the stakeholder groups – healthcare providers, injecting drug users, diabetics and industry representatives.

 

March 2003                 [Australia] New South Wales Government grant $95,000 to Unitract from the Biofirst and Australian Technology Showcase initiatives.

 

April 2003                    [Australia] Unitract receives $240,000 in research and development funding from the federal government. This qualifies Unitract for an automatic grant of $100,000 from the New South Wales Government.

 

May 2003                    [Australia] In the Federal Budget the Government announces a cut of $10 million from the retractable syringes budget leaving $17.5 million over four years of the initiative.

 

May 2003                    [Australia] Diabetics and the healthcare sector no longer part of the retractable syringes initiative due to concerns raised in the National Consultation Process.

 

July 2003                     [USA] President George Bush announces the appointment of former Ely Lilly CEO to position of global AIDS coordinator.

 

July 2003                     [Australia] Retractable Syringes Implementation Reference Group meets for the first time.

 

Aug 2003                     [Australia] Call for Applications for Product Information sent to manufacturers of retractable syringes.

 

Sep 2003                     [Australia] The federal government announce that ANCAHD will be scrapped.

 

Sep 2003                     [Australia] RiTract Limited (the Company) was registered on 17 September 2003.

 

Oct 2003                     [Australia] Meeting with states and territories to discuss pilots and identify potential sites. Kay Patterson is replaced as health minister by Tony Abbott. Michael Wooldridge elected chairman of Resonance Health Ltd.

 

Nov 2003                    [Australia] Resonance Health acquire a controlling interest in Inner Vision Biometrics Pty Ltd ("IVB"), the owner of the award winning FerriScan technology. FerriScan is a safe test, involving MRI techniques and IVB's proprietary software to measure iron overload in the liver.

 

[Australia] The Research Forum, a private research company that has worked on numerous government contracts is selected to undertake the pilots.

 

Dec 2003                     [Australia] Second meeting of the implementation reference group.

 

[Australia] Ritract lists on the Australian stock exchange.

 

2003                            [USA] BD reported revenues increased 12 per cent to $4.528 billion and net income by 14 per cent to $547 million.

 

                                    [Global] Three million people died from HIV related illnesses and five million more people were living with the virus by the end of the year.

 

March 2004                 [Australia] First meeting of the new Ministerial Advisory Council on AIDS, Sexual Health and Hepatitis (MACASHH – ANCAHRD’s replacement). Tony Abbott announces membership of the council, including Michael Wooldridge as chairperson.

 

April 2004                    [Australia] NSP Managers and User Reps workshop held in Melbourne. Participants are shown prototype retractable syringes and demonstrate that there is no guarantee that the syringes cannot be used a second time. The mechanism fails to work on a number of the prototypes.

 

July 2004                     [USA] BD CEO Edward Ludwig is elected as chairman of the Health Institute of New Jersey.

 

July 2004                     [Australia] Michael Wooldridge opens Australian Association of Needle Exchanges conference in Melbourne. Representatives from the Dept of Health and Ageing and the Research Forum reporting on the retractable syringe initiative receive a hostile reception from conference delegates. Radio Triple J reporter Ali Benton is ordered to leave by conference organisers.

 

August 2004                 [Australia] The Darwin based Network Against Prohibition launch The ARSE Foundation – Anti-Retractable Syringe Education.