NYT: Illinois Governor (Blagojevich, Dem.) Seeks (Flu) Vaccine Abroad

[DeepModem Mom]

Illinois Governor Seeks Vaccine Abroad
By MONICA DAVEY

Published: October 25, 2004


Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, one of several leaders of state efforts to buy prescription drugs from outside the United States, says he has found at least 30,000 doses of flu vaccine in his conversations with overseas drug wholesalers and wants permission from the federal authorities to buy the doses for elderly residents of his state.

With reports of people in Illinois and around the country waiting hours in lines for flu shots and even driving to Canada for the vaccine, Governor Blagojevich, a Democrat, will ask the Food and Drug Administration today for permission to buy the added doses through European wholesalers at a rate he says he has already negotiated - $7 a dose.

The request is certain to raise new questions about a vaccine shortage that has left the nation with about half its normal supply: how quickly will the F.D.A. decide whether it is safe to import doses of the vaccine, and is it the role of state or local officials to find extra doses and buy them for their own residents?

Yesterday, Mr. Blagojevich's aides said he intended to send the 30,000 extra shots - perhaps more - to the state's most vulnerable residents, those in nursing homes. Without the extra shots, his aides said, the federal authorities have promised only 35,000 flu shots, all told, to Illinois's nursing homes, which have about 100, 000 residents....

(Blagojevich has asked the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to allow Illinois to use federal funds to buy the extra vaccine, but if permission is denied, state funds will be used.)


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/25/national/25flu.html

[Skittles]

1. Excellent

Blagojevich sounds like a very good guy.

[SoCalDem]

2. While I commend him for doing this,

it plays into *'s grubby little hands.. It gives him another talking point..

"...It's easier for the states to do their own vaccine buying..."..

[donsu]

3. a good gov. trying to look out for the people in his state

you know, the ones who pay his salary

[davsand]

4. Funny thing about Blag...

...six months ago I'd have given him about a thirty percent chance for re-election. He's pissed off a lot of the Dems in IL with some of his initiatives. I really expected him to face a primary challenge.

However, in recent months he's done a LOT on the issue of prescription drugs. He's still going to need to mend some inner party fences, but he has really come out as trying to help seniors. Knowing how faithfully they vote, he's in much better shape with the voters.

To be honest, if he keeps this up, the IL Dem party would really be foolish to run anybody against him.

Obama, Durbin and now Blag--feels pretty good to be an Illinois Dem these days!

Laura