132 Million Flu Shots Planned for Next Season

ATLANTA (AP) – Flu vaccine manufacturers expect to have a record 132 million doses ready for the 2007-2008 flu season, and even more could be available if a fifth company joins their ranks, officials said Thursday.CSL Biotherapies, an Australian company, applied last month for federal approval to sell its flu vaccine in America this fall.Government health officials have been expanding their flu shot recommendations to cover more age groups, and they now say that more than 200 million Americans should get vaccinated each year. But setbacks in recent years – including vaccine delays and shortages – have left doctors and patients soured and confused.Officials say they are heartened by the increase in vaccine manufacturing.“To protect people, we need more vaccine,” said Dr. Jeanne Santoli, deputy director of America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s immunization services division.Influenza kills an estimated 36,000 Americans each year, and hospitalizes another 200,000, according to the CDC.The manufacturer estimates for the next flu season were announced at a meeting of flu vaccine manufacturers, health care providers and public health officials.If approved, CSL would join four other companies providing flu vaccine in America. Three make flu shots – Sanofi Pasteur Inc., which projects 50 million doses; Novartis Vaccines, which expects to make up to 40 million doses; and GlaxoSmithKline, which is planning 30 million to 35 million doses.In addition, MedImmune Vaccines Inc. plans to manufacture about 7 million doses of FluMist, a nasal mist recommended only for healthy people between ages 5 and 49. It contains live virus and carries a slight chance of causing flu-like symptoms.Federal guidelines call for 218 million Americans to get vaccinated, so the supply for shots still falls far short, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.The companies said they are ramping up production. Sanofi is completing a new facility in Pennsylvania that will allow it to double its production. MedImmune is planning to more than triple its production in the next few years.CSL has asked for an expedited approval from the Food and Drug Administration, which would be needed to reach the vaccine market in time for the upcoming season, said Paul Perreault, CSL’s executive vice president for worldwide commercial operations.CSL has manufactured flu vaccine since 1968, and currently provides it to 16 countries in Europe, South America and Asia.Speaking at the National Influenza Vaccine Summit meeting, Perreault said how many doses CSL brings to market this year will depend on when FDA approval comes. The company has production capacity to add more than 20 million doses to the U.S. market, he said.In America, nearly 121 million doses – the current record – were produced for the 2006-2007 flu season, but many went unused. More than 18 million doses probably will be destroyed after their June 30 expiration, health officials said.___On the Net:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov

132 Million Flu Shots Planned for Next Season

132 Million Flu Shots Planned for Next Season

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