Why is there a flu vaccine shortage?

[John BigBootay]

Sorry if this is a repat topic-- haven't been looking too carefully at the site lately.

Just wanted to know waht the consenus was here-- seems odd that one manufacturer making a bad batch would be such a major problem. How many makers are there?

[Lori Price CLG]

1. So one of Bush's installers, the pharmaceutical terrorists, can make...

more $ by price-gouging on an unnecessary product.

Lori Price
http://www.legitgov.org/

[meow2u3]

2. O U T S O U R C I N G !

A California drug company farmed out the making of the flu vaccine to a factory in England. The Brits found out the vaccine was contaminated, so they told the outsourcers, "You ain't shipping this shit!" (vulgar translation)
Bush tried to steal the credit from the Brits!

[DrWeird]

4. Why would somebody outsource to England though?

I mean, what with the dollar and all.

I think these are two seperate issues.

[Johnny 99]

6. This isn't so much outsourcing

As much as it is about U.S. pharmaceuticla companies just not wanting to spend money to make this stuff. There are all sorts of problems, such as how it's manufactured (incubated in hen's eggs instead of using good techniques) and such that make it a pain to make under FDA regulations, as well as the fact that it's not particularly profitable.

As a national security issue, these things really should be made in the U.S.

[DrWeird]

7. Is there reason to believe that UK manufacturers are inferior

...to US manufacturers?

I really don't see how the location of the plant in this case is of major importance.

[John BigBootay]

8. I'm sure UK makers are OK--

I'm confused by the fact that there are only two makers of a vaccine that is certain to be used and certain to be missed if there's a problem-- i.e. so little redundancy in the process. If one batch is botched- we lose half the supply. Whereas if say 20 makers made it and one batch was bad, you have only a 5% loss of supply.

What's the story with the lawsuits? Is that stopping makers?

[IronLionZion]

9. it's not profitable

and it has to be made far in advance so they have to guesstimate demand

[DrWeird]

3. Somebody ducked under the sneeze guard.

There are two major manufacturers.

Not that surprising, really.

I remember several years ago there was a RAM factory in east Asian that burnt down. The price fo RAM skyrocketed because, despite its use, there was only a couple of plants that made it.

[Lefty48197]

5. It's France's fault

.