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Judgment day

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Illinois

The governor could find out today if his scheme to import flu vaccine from Europe will be approved.

FDA officials on Tuesday are expected to announce whether they will allow four million to five million doses of flu vaccine manufactured in Europe and Canada to be imported for use in the United States, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said Friday in his resignation speech, USA Today reports (USA Today, 12/6).

If approved, the doses would help to mitigate a U.S. flu vaccine shortage that developed in October when California-based Chiron announced that the British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency suspended the company’s manufacturing license at a Liverpool, England, plant that produces about half of the United States’ flu vaccine supply.

But the press pop might not be as big as the governor originally hoped.

Health departments across Illinois and the Upper Midwest are flush with flu vaccine despite fears just weeks ago that shortages would leave many seniors, young children and the critically ill unable to get vaccinated.

Instead, a rationing program put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appears to have preserved enough vaccine to ensure that those considered high-risk for serious repercussions from the flu can get the vaccine if they want.

Rationing may have worked. Or not. It’s still unknown whether lots of at-risk people failed to get their shots for fear of rejection or standing in long lines.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 7, 04 @ 4:41 am

Comments

Rich
Have you noticed those RX for Illinois commercials airing on Chicago TV? Is that the pharm. industry trying to pre-empt or steal Blago’s thunder on helping seniors? Can you write about this? I think it’s a brilliant marketing move on their part.

Too bad the GOP doesn’t know how to beat this guy at his own game.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 7, 04 @ 10:56 pm