U.S. officials say surprised, but Brits say warned them flu shot shortage

[DeepModem Mom]

Washington Post:

Britain: U.S. Told Of Vaccine Shortage
Flu Shot Records Contradict FDA

By Glenn Frankel and Glenda Cooper
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, October 9, 2004; Page A01

LONDON, Oct. 8 -- British health officials said Friday that their American counterparts were informed in mid-September that problems at a drug manufacturing plant in northwest England could disrupt influenza vaccine supplies to the United States.

Records at Britain's Department of Health show that the plant's owner, Chiron Corp., warned officials of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency on Sept. 13 that potential contamination problems remained unresolved at the plant, according to Alison Langley, a senior spokeswoman at the department.

The British account is at odds with statements by U.S. health officials that they were caught by surprise by the British regulatory agency's decision this week to suspend vaccine manufacturing for three months at the Liverpool plant. It had been expected to provide 48 million doses of flu vaccine to the United States, about half of the U.S. supply this year.

Unlike the United States, health officials in Britain responded to the warning by making "plans by contacting other manufacturers," Langley said....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18795-2004Oct8.html

[Edwardsgroupie]

1. I have to wonder..WHY are their vaccine serum shortages??

Aren't these things produced by man? It's not like oil where economics enters into it..or certain types of produce where weather dictates shortages...It reminds me of 'rare' cards in the Pokemon collection. These so called 'shortages' have to be orchestrated, don't they?

[DeepModem Mom]

4. Apparently in this case, the problem was possible contamination --

which was unexpected --

[DeepModem Mom]

5. And welcome to DU, Edwardsgroupie!

[AngryAmish]

6. It takes a while to make the vaccine

I am not a doctor or any kind of health professional. I pick this stuff up from newspapers. If I am wrong in any of the following, please correct me.

The flu is actually several different species of virus that create flu-like symptoms. Each flu is genetically different that the other.

Every summer, the WHO, Army Med Corps and other organizations go to various parts of the world (I think a lot go to SE Asia), sample people and see what are the most plentiful flus. Then there is a decision of what viruses to make up the "cocktail" of the 5 or so different virus that make the "flu shot". It changes every year.

Then most flu shots (not nasal sprays) come from live virus grown inside eggs, then separated out, the virus killed, and then put into the shot. The window to grow these things is small because they want to select the "cocktail" as late as possible to be able to more accurately predict the most prevalent/virulent flus.

SO, when one of the factories that is used for the flu shot incubation/manufacture goes down, there is not a large room for error because the factories are specialized. There is no incentive for a private manufacturer to build these things and have them sit idle. The factories are contracted with ahead of time.

Unfortunately, a single payer system would not have helped this. Because if we want over-capacity in flu creation, it has to be paid for somehow. So more flu production capacity, less other kinds of care.

Now, the flu culturing problem (growing in eggs) is antiquated compared to much of other medical technology. But since flu shots are a low-margin business, there is not enough research to update the technology.

[skylarmae]

2. just seems like more evidence of the administrations incompotance

at the expense of our people. If they were told about the shortage has anything been to secure alternate sources like the Brits did?

[Leilani]

3. Why am I not surprised?

They lie about everything.