Record Number Of Flu Vaccines To Be Made

[Guest guest]

Record

Number Of Flu Vaccines To Be Made

July 26, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- In the heat of summer, the flu is probably the

last thing on most minds. But July is when the nation's two main vaccine

makers begin shipping shots to wholesalers, who in turn parcel them out to

hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices nationwide. This year, health

officials and shot producers vow not to run out as they did during last

year's exceptionally early season start.

So this year, the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention plans for the first time to stockpile 4 million

vaccines for children and the two vaccine makers -- Chiron Corp. of

Emeryville and Aventis Pasteur -- plan to make a

combined 100 million doses. That's about 17 million more than were available

last year.

On Friday, Chiron said it shipped 1 million

doses to wholesalers as part of a production run that will ultimately yield

52 million shots this year, the most the company has produced in a single

year.

Last year, the company made 38 million

shots, accounting for about $230 million in revenue. That supply was quickly

exhausted because the flu started in early October and quickly swept across

the nation. By December, both makers had exhausted their supplies and many

clinics ran out of shots before season's end.

" Last influenza season hit early and

hit hard, " said Pien, Chiron's

president and CEO.

A spokesman for Pennsylvania-based Aventis didn't return a telephone call Friday.

The CDC recommends that about 185 million

Americans -- including the elderly, children, and people with weakened immune

systems -- get flu shots each year. However, far fewer are actually

vaccinated. Health officials expect a record number of people to request

vaccinations this year owing to the publicity generated by last year's season

and the subsequent shortage.

Vaccine manufacturing is a risky business --

much guesswork goes into which strains to protect against each year and how

many doses to make.

Two years ago, three manufacturers made 95

million doses -- but only 80 million were used. The companies had to absorb

the cost because the government doesn't pay for unused doses, prompting Wyeth to drop out of the business.

Based on the mild 2002-2003 flu season, the

two remaining major manufacturers scaled back production last year and were

unprepared for the surge in demand.

A third company, MedImmune

Inc. of College

Park, Md., produced a needle-free vaccine called FluMist

last year, the first new vaccine on the market in 50 years. FluMist is squirted in the nose and the company had hoped

it would be a popular alternative to the conventional vaccines, which are

brewed in chicken eggs and delivered with a needle jab. But FluMist failed miserably, selling only 450,000 of 4

million doses it produced, and reported only $33 million in revenue.

Copyright 2004 The

Associated Press. All rights reserved

Hugs,

Deanna

LUPUS Serenity

Prayer...

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot

change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the

bodies of doctors I shot when they said, You're perfectly healthy, it's all in

your head "