SELECTED ARTICLES FROM THE RECENT LITERATURE 200410/15/04
Flu vaccine shortage looming
Summary
On 10/6/04 the Chiron corporation, one of only two manufacturers of the inactivated influenza (Flu) vaccine used currently in the USA, announced that all their production of Flu vaccine for use this year had been discontinued because of contamination at their manufacturing facility in England . As discussed in a NY Times online article, the situation is complicated by the current reliance on a technique that requires at least 6 months lead time to manufacture a batch of Flu vaccine. The inactivated Flu vaccine has to be prepared “fresh” each year using 3 strains of the Flu virus thought by experts to be the most likely offenders during the coming year. Therefore, that means that there will be a severe shortage of Flu vaccine for current use. As it is, Flu infections are thought to have caused 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 fatalities each year. Such figures could increase considerably if many “high risk” individuals do not receive Flu immunization.Editor's Comments
One can ask “how did we get into this situation where manufacturing problems in one company can cause such potential havoc?” The answer appears complex and not easily solvable. The number of companies making the Flu vaccine has decreased considerably, likely because Flu vaccine production is not that profitable: 1) It is expensive to prepare a new type of vaccine each year and test it for efficacy and safety; 2) there is pressure on industry to keep the cost of the Flu vaccine low to encourage its use; 3) the Flu vaccine has a relatively short half life and must be “bought back” by manufacturers if not used during the year after it is produced. For example, following an unexpectedly low demand in one particular year, 12 million doses of Flu vaccine not used in the USA were returned to the manufacturer for refunds; 4) because vaccines are used as preventatives, not treatment, there is little tolerance by the public for adverse effects with litigation implications.There are likely more efficient methods for making Flu vaccines than the 50 year-old technology currently in use. However, development and testing of such approaches cost a lot in an area where the profit margin is not that much.
