flu season

Vaccine maker Chiron said that it will not be able to meet its minimum production goal of 18 million doses in time for the 2005-06 flu season, again citing difficulties at its plant in the UK. CEO Howard Pien made the admission in a talk with analysts Monday but would not provide any additional details, leaving the extent of the shortage unknown. The news comes at a time when health officials are trying to calm public anxiety about the avian flu in the face of increasingly disturbing news …

The Food and Drug Administration approved three lots of Chiron's flu vaccine Fluvirin for general distribution, easing fears of a possible vaccine shortage for the 2005 flu season. The approval means up to 1.5 million doses of Fluvirin will be shipped within the next few days. The Wall Street Journal ran a major story on a potential flu vaccine shortage Monday, which raised the possibility that supply problems could follow if Chiron was not able to deliver. Skeptics note that the …

Despite assurances that manufacturers would be able to produce an adequate supply of flu vaccine for the 2005 flu season, early indications suggest there will be shortages across the country this year. While the problems do not yet seem to be as severe as those last year, many healthcare providers are reporting at least limited disruption of expected shipments. Partly to blame is more problems at Chiron, which was expected to supply between 18 million and 26 million doses of Fluvirin. So …

While the potential for a shortage like the one last year appears to have diminished, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still approaching this year's flu season with caution. The agency released a plan Thursday which prioritizes the order in which groups should be given shots: people 65 and older, pregnant women, children between six and 23 months and healthcare personnel responsible for direct patient care.

The CDC estimates 75 million doses of flu vaccine are …

Food and Drug Administration regulators expressed "general approval" yesterday of Chiron's efforts to fix problems at its Liverpool vaccine plant, potentially clearing the way for the return of Fluvirin to the US market in time for this year's flu season. Contamination problems at the plant a year ago helped cause a widespread vaccine shortage, leading to chaos at many hospitals, clinics and doctors offices and fears of similar problems this year. Cynics are noting, however, that it was …

Chiron continued its run of bad luck, reporting this morning that contamination problems at the company's plant in Germany are likely to hurt production of one of its flu vaccines for the upcoming flu season. The company said it probably will only be able to produce 4 million doses of Begrivac rather than the 12 million it had been expected to deliver. The news only affects Chiron's international customers but is expected to increase competition over the remaining global vaccine …