Published Date: 2009-09-19 23:00:04
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (53): vaccine donation
Archive Number: 20090919.3290
INFLUENZA PANDEMIC (H1N1) 2009 (53): VACCINE DONATION
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Date: Sat 19 Sep 2009
Source: Winnipeg Free Press, Canadian Press report [edited]
<http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/health/Canada-vague-on-why-it-hasn_t-joined-US-and-others-in-donating-H1N1-vaccine-59753432.html>
Canadian officials are being vague about why this country is
conspicuously absent from a list of developed nations donating
one-tenth of their pandemic vaccine to countries that don't have
access to the shots. The 9-country initiative, announced Thursday [17
Sep 2009] by U.S. President Barack Obama, involves the USA, Britain,
Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Switzerland, Brazil and Norway.
The decision by the 9 countries, some of the largest users of flu
vaccine globally, was hailed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as
a commitment "to fairness in the sharing of a scarce resource."
The 9 have said they will donate 10 percent on an ongoing basis as
vaccine becomes available. "Given that current demand outstrips
supply, these donations, together with the doses pledged by
manufacturers, will help increase supplies of pandemic vaccines to
populations that would otherwise not have access," the WHO said in a
statement posted on its Web site. Countries that want donated vaccine
will have to assume all liability and release donor countries,
manufacturers and the WHO from any claims in the event that adverse
events are linked to use of the vaccine, the WHO says.
"This is not negotiable with the industry," Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny,
head of the WHO's vaccine research initiative, explained in an
interview with The Canadian Press. Kieny said WHO regional offices
will stipulate that condition to would-be recipients when they discuss
the issue of vaccine access with countries that want to draw from the
donated supplies. It is currently unclear how much vaccine will be
donated through the program with the 9 countries, WHO spokesperson
Gregory Hartl said Friday from Geneva. But whatever the figure is, it
will be in addition to donations totalling 150 million doses pledged
by Sanofi Pasteur (100 million doses) and GlaxoSmithKline (50 million
doses), Hartl said.
Canada has ordered 50.4 million doses of pandemic vaccine from GSK,
which is making the product at its facility in Ste-Foy, Quebec. The
order was placed when it was thought people might need 2 doses apiece
to be protected against the new H1N1 virus. A number of recently
published studies have revealed one shot should protect most
adolescents, teens and adults.
Polls have suggested fewer than half of Canadians plan to get
vaccinated against the pandemic virus, which causes mild disease in
the vast majority of cases. The lower-than-expected dosage need plus
the potential soft demand means Canada may have many millions of
unclaimed doses of vaccine, experts believe. "I think we'll have lots
of vaccine. I don't think it will be like the iPhone," said Dr.
Michael Gardam, director of infectious diseases prevention and control
at the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion. Asked about
the potential for surplus and whether Canada planned to donate all or
some of the excess, the head of the Public Health Agency said if
Canada's needs are not as great as it 1st thought, GSK can begin
filling other country's orders sooner. "We, as other countries, are
obviously working with the WHO to look at the issue of needs and what
the appropriate response would be," Dr. David Butler-Jones said
Wednesday [16 Sep 2009]. "But no decisions have been made about that
yet."
In its email on Friday [18 Sep 2009], the agency noted that Canada has
contributed over CDN 100 million [USD 93,562,876] since 2003 to global
pandemic preparedness and response, including technical assistance and
financial donations to international organizations such as the United
Nations and the WHO. The WHO noted Friday that there will be
"substantially less" pandemic vaccine worldwide than the previously
forecast 94 million doses a week. Hartl said that means the amount
produced in a year will fall short of the 4.9 billion doses WHO had
hoped could be available for the pandemic. A combination of factors
contribute to the lowered output projection, including the fact that
manufacturers have reported vaccine yield from the virus is
substantially lower than that seen with seasonal flu production. On
the plus side, however, the dosing needs are lower. And it is unclear
what international demand will be, given the generally mild nature of
the infection the virus causes.
[Byline: Helen Branswell]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall
See Also
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (52): WHO update 66 20090918.3272Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (51): antibody deficiency 20090917.3261
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (50): oseltamivir-resistance 20090917.3260
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (40): global update 20090906.3138
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (30): assumptions 20090813.2879
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (20): Peru, 33 percent asymptomatic
20090730.2668
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (10): vaccine 20090720.2577
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - Viet Nam: patient data 20090708.2450
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