HOW EVENTS UNFOLDED

July 1982: US Centre of Disease Control (CDC) reports that three haemophiliacs were diagnosed with Aids and warned thta the virus might be transmitted through blood products.

February 1984: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licenses Cutter's heat-treated factor VIII concentrate, trade-named Koate-HT.

March 1984: Cutter starts selling Koate-HT in the US and some European countries.

October 1984: CDD study, carried out in co-operation with Cutter scientists, shows that heat treatment kills the Aids virus in factor concentrates. Researchers also discover that 74 per cent of severe haemophiliacs who used non-heated factor concentrate were HIV-positive.

November 1984: Cutter telexes its Hong Kong distributor, Luen Cheong Hong, saying: 'We must use up stocks of regular Koate we had made for export.'

March-May 1985: FDA warned concentrate manufacturers not to export non heated concentrate overseas.

May 6, 1985: Cutter telexes Hong Kong distributor saying: 'Be assured there is no severe hazard from the regular Koate factor now being supplied in Hong Kong and numerous other countries.'

July 1985: Hong Kong haemophiliacs started using Koate-HT.

1993: Hong Kong government sets up Aids Trust Fund to help the victims.