WP: Britain:U.S. Told Of Vaccine Shortage (health officials contradicted)

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

not enough profit?

as a country, are we nuts not to have our own source of vaccine?

The vaccine changes every year. One company was supposed to manufacture it, but contaminated the batch making it unusable. So, there is less supply.

They simply don't make the kind of money making life-saving vaccines than they do for chronic ailments like high cholesterol or impotence. So they "free trade" it out to Brits.

This is pure irresponsibility. The coming flu is going to be particularly virulent. lots of people are going to die this winter. Remember France last summer, during the heat wave? That's what's coming for America Winter 2004/05

But I guess George would just say their deaths were God's will, and that we shouldn't be angry or blame the health officials or pharmaceutical companies. Let's just go and invade Syria and forget about it.

this government will have more blood on its hands. I know of elderly people who are in a complete panic over this and people not lucky or wealthy enough to have their own doctor and who line up at town halls or clinics every year to get their shot are completely out of luck.

eom