Cutter Incident

About Cutter Incident

The Cutter Incident occurred in April 1955 when Cutter Laboratories failed to properly inactivate poliovirus in their Salk vaccine. Approximately 200,000 people received vaccine containing live poliovirus. The error caused about 40,000 cases of abortive polio, left about 200 people, including family contacts, with varying degrees of paralysis, and caused 10 deaths. The incident nearly destroyed the polio vaccination program. Surgeon General Leonard Scheele halted vaccination for evaluation. The crisis led to stricter manufacturing standards. Federal oversight was strengthened through a new Division of Biologics Standards. In Gottsdanker v Cutter Laboratories, a jury found the company not negligent but still liable for damages. The Cutter Incident remains one of the worst pharmaceutical disasters in US history. The case established that manufacturers could be held liable for vaccine injuries even without negligence, shaping pharmaceutical liability law.