Flu-Shot Supply Dented by Production Woes

Flu-Shot Supply Dented by Production Woes

 Doctors Delaying Vaccinations as Drug Makers Resolve Problems

By Peter Loftus in the Wall Street Journal

Some influenza-vaccine makers have delayed shipments to U.S. doctors and pharmacies because of production problems, forcing health-care providers to put off vaccinations as flu season gets under way.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there have been delays in shipments—from big manufacturers, including GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Sanofi SA —that were originally anticipated for August and September. The delayed vaccines included some that were approved specifically for children.

The CDC still expects there will be a sufficient supply for the season and that a majority of doses will be shipped by the end of October, a spokeswoman said. Flu-vaccine makers have projected shipping as many as 156 million doses for the 2014-15 flu season, more than the 134.5 million doses distributed last season, according to the agency.

As of Oct. 17, nearly 118 million doses were distributed, the CDC said; the figure doesn’t represent the number of people already vaccinated. The agency recommends all people 6 months and older get flu shots, with rare exceptions. About 59% of children and 42% of adults were vaccinated for the 2013-14 flu season, according to the CDC.

The start of flu season means it’s time to get vaccinated. Erin Tolbert, an emergency room nurse practitioner, offers tips on the News Hub with Sara Murray. Photo: AP.

The delays come as some public-health experts have renewed calls for people to get flu vaccines this season, in the wake of concerns about two other viruses that don’t have vaccines: the Ebola virus, which has primarily affected West Africa but also a handful of U.S. patients; and a U.S. outbreak of enterovirus D68, which causes respiratory illness.

The CDC says it is difficult to count flu deaths but has estimated they range from 3,000 to 49,000 annually in the U.S. And because Ebola causes flu-like symptoms, experts say flu vaccinations could reduce chances of creating false alarms over Ebola.

Recent supply disruptions have forced some health-care providers to delay vaccinations or send people elsewhere for shots. Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash., received about 150 of the 600 doses it ordered from Sanofi, said Emily Gibson, director of the university’s student health center. The university allocated the limited supply to certain staff and at-risk students. “This is our prime vaccination time for our population, so we are now having to refer our students to local pharmacies who offer vaccinations,” Dr. Gibson said.

The Arkansas Department of Health has postponed its community flu-vaccine clinics throughout the state and delayed providing vaccines to nursing homes because it didn’t receive shipments in time, a spokeswoman said. The department also delayed vaccinating staffers who don’t have direct patient contact but has allocated an available supply of vaccines for school clinics.

Some pediatric practices in the U.S. have been receiving vaccines later than in the past two seasons, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Henry Bernstein, professor of pediatrics at Hofstra Northshore-LIJ School of Medicine in Hempstead, N.Y., said his practice has “a good supply” after a delay.

A CDC spokeswoman said flu shots should continue to be offered throughout the flu season, which usually peaks between December and February. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop protection against infection.

Sanofi, whose Sanofi Pasteur division is the largest supplier of flu vaccine in the U.S., says it delayed shipments of certain forms of Fluzone because one of the flu strains used to produce the shot grew more slowly than expected. Shipments of three versions of Fluzone are expected to continue into November.

The company still plans to produce all of the 65 million doses it has projected for the U.S. market this season, a spokesman said.

GlaxoSmithKline has reduced its production target for the U.S. to a range of 26 million to 27 million doses, from a prior forecast of 28 million to 33 million doses, a spokesman said. The company delayed shipments of a portion of its vaccine supply because batches made at a plant in Quebec didn’t meet quality-assurance standards and were discarded, a spokesman said.