PROF Hans Hoppe of Hamburg University was clear. He told Mr Martin Hayden, counsel for the Irish Haemophiliacs' Society at the inquiry yesterday that of 70,000 women he had treated with anti D, between 1968 and 1988, none developed hepatitis.
"How was it that the method was so successful in Germany and in this jurisdiction it had such traumatic effect?" asked Mr Hayes.
Prof Hoppe offered "a simple explanation. We took every precaution to prevent it (the possibility of infection)", he replied. He offered his sympathy "in particular to the family of the woman (Mrs Brigid McCole) who died recently". Mr James Nugent SC, for the tribunal, asked Prof Hoppe whether he knew any reputable producer of anti D in the world who ignored donor screening". Professor Hoppe said "no".
He agreed with Mr Donal O'Donnell SC, for the BTSB, that at the time many people believed the anti D manufacturing process eliminated the hepatitis virus. He had conducted tests in Hamburg and developed a more refined manufacturing method. It reduced the amount of the hepatitis virus present in the product, but "it did not remove it totally".
He recalled telling the BTSB about this "between 1975 and 1977". He remembered it thought it "a great success. We don't have to worry about that anymore." He agreed that maybe it was thought the new method removed the virus totally, but remembers making it "totally clear the experiment was not suitable for removing the hepatitis virus".