Swine flu vaccine blues

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDApr 22 2010

1^st Anniversary views & reviews

Exactly a year after the swine flu outbreak vigilance, newer vaccine techniques and other measures are being emphasized by researchers and key decision makers. Dr. Harvey Fineberg, chairman of the World Health Organization's pandemic review committee and President of the U.S. Institute of Medicine says, we need to look at the past to learn from it. “This is one of the really, I would say, ‘sine qua non’ of a fair assessment…You have to look at each decision from the vantage point of what was understood and known at that time. You still may be very critical, or you may be laudatory or you may be somewhere in between. But it's certainly inappropriate to look at it from a vantage point after the fact…Even prospectively you can still attend to errors of calculation and insufficient utilization of available information, failure to outline all of the options, failure to think about alternatives, failure to communicate successfully…That's part of what I hope we'll look into. And part of what I hope we can maintain as a committee, is this sense of looking retrospectively but with a prospective attitude.” The pandemic had assumed huge proportions with over 12,000 Americans affected with H1N1 infections so far and WHO reports that nearly 18,000 people have died worldwide.

This statement comes after the critics’ protests of wastage of precious tax-payers funds by procuring vaccines that remained unused and suggestions related to vaccine manufacturers who were hand in glove with the decision makers in creation of this over-hyped panic situation. The current review committee with 29 people from different countries assesses the situation of the swine flu scare. The committee, which met for the first time last week, is to report to WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan in time for her to present the findings to the World Health Assembly -- the WHO's annual meeting -- in May 2011.

Promises of new vaccine

Researchers are also looking into newer flu vaccine techniques for more effective coverage. According to US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, “We have never been in a stronger position to create new and better vaccines.” Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health also believes that the pandemic served to “bring the technology of influenza vaccine development and manufacture into the 21st century.” Fauci also said that there has been a partnership with Novartis in building a cell-based flu vaccine production unit in North Carolina. “It will be a gradual process," he said. "In the next year or so, you will be seeing some of these recombinant products ready to be used in humans,” he said.

Surplus of spoiling vaccines

In another development the British Columbian government is looking to recover at least some of the $20-million swine flu vaccines that are spoiling before their expiry dates and have to be disposed. There are a surplus of 2.5 million doses that were promised to last one and a half year and are spoiling at six months. The government is in talks with manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline about recovering some of the cost. B.C. Health Living Minister Ida Chong said in a statement on Wednesday, “We're working … to see what we can do to find out if there is any kind of recovery….No one wants to see unused vaccines discarded in this way. Certainly no-one would have expected this, but it was a very novel virus.” There were a little over 1000 cases of swine flu in B.C. last year and according to Chong, “It was important that we ordered enough vaccine for all British Columbians, which is what we did.”

B.C.'s chief medical health officer, Dr. Perry Kendall said people should make use of this opportunity. “If someone is worried, hasn't been vaccinated, is in a high-risk group, or newly pregnant, I'd suggest they take an opportunity to get the vaccine while we know we have ample supplies this month or next month,” he said.