Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Flu Scan for Oct 28, 2015
Delays in flu vaccines
; Cell-based flu vaccine safety
Two flu vaccine makers report shipping delays
Two drug manufacturers—MedImmune and Sanofi Pasteur—have reported delays in shipping quadrivalent (four-strain) flu vaccines, including the nasal spray, but the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) doesn't anticipate an overall shortage for the season, USA Todayreported today.
MedImmune, of Gaithersburg, Md., said "unforeseen challenges" in production have delayed shipment of FluMist nasal spray vaccine after it shipped 5 million of its season-total-projected doses of 15 million. As reported Oct 16 by CIDRAP News, a company spokeswoman said the problems involve two of the four strains.
The company said it would ship "a significant number of additional doses" of vaccine as they become available, until the end of the year, the USA Today story noted. Some pediatricians have already run out of FluMist.
France-based Sanofi, meanwhile, said it is running 2 to 3 weeks behind schedule in shipping its pre-filled syringes of injectable Fluzone. The company said it has shipped plenty of multi-dose vials of the vaccine, however.
Both vaccines are commonly given to children.
Manufacturers had earlier announced that they would produce 171 million to 179 million doses of flu vaccine, according to the
CDC. More than 109 million of them had already been distributed by Oct 9,USA Today reported.
Oct 27 USA Today story
Oct 16 CIDRAP News story "US flu levels low as new season's reporting starts"
Study: Cell-culture flu vaccine not linked to serious side effects
The first cell-cultured flu vaccine, Flucelvax, has not been tied to an increased risk of significant side effects, federal scientists said in a study yesterday in Vaccine.
Experts from the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration combed through data on from the US Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) among people vaccinated from Jul 1, 2013, through Mar 31, 2015. Flucelvax was approved by the FDA for adults in November 2012.
Of 309 documented reports of an adverse event associated with Flucelvax, 152 (49.2%) were general disorders and injection-site conditions, including systemic reactions. In addition 73 events (23.6%) were immune system disorders, with 4 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome and 2 reports of anaphylaxis. In all, 19 serious adverse events (6.1%) were reported.
The authors concluded, "Review of VAERS reports did not identify any concerning pattern."
Oct 27 Vaccine study
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-persp...an-oct-28-2015
Delays in flu vaccines
; Cell-based flu vaccine safety
Two flu vaccine makers report shipping delays
Two drug manufacturers—MedImmune and Sanofi Pasteur—have reported delays in shipping quadrivalent (four-strain) flu vaccines, including the nasal spray, but the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) doesn't anticipate an overall shortage for the season, USA Todayreported today.
MedImmune, of Gaithersburg, Md., said "unforeseen challenges" in production have delayed shipment of FluMist nasal spray vaccine after it shipped 5 million of its season-total-projected doses of 15 million. As reported Oct 16 by CIDRAP News, a company spokeswoman said the problems involve two of the four strains.
The company said it would ship "a significant number of additional doses" of vaccine as they become available, until the end of the year, the USA Today story noted. Some pediatricians have already run out of FluMist.
France-based Sanofi, meanwhile, said it is running 2 to 3 weeks behind schedule in shipping its pre-filled syringes of injectable Fluzone. The company said it has shipped plenty of multi-dose vials of the vaccine, however.
Both vaccines are commonly given to children.
Manufacturers had earlier announced that they would produce 171 million to 179 million doses of flu vaccine, according to the
CDC. More than 109 million of them had already been distributed by Oct 9,USA Today reported.
Oct 27 USA Today story
Oct 16 CIDRAP News story "US flu levels low as new season's reporting starts"
Study: Cell-culture flu vaccine not linked to serious side effects
The first cell-cultured flu vaccine, Flucelvax, has not been tied to an increased risk of significant side effects, federal scientists said in a study yesterday in Vaccine.
Experts from the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration combed through data on from the US Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) among people vaccinated from Jul 1, 2013, through Mar 31, 2015. Flucelvax was approved by the FDA for adults in November 2012.
Of 309 documented reports of an adverse event associated with Flucelvax, 152 (49.2%) were general disorders and injection-site conditions, including systemic reactions. In addition 73 events (23.6%) were immune system disorders, with 4 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome and 2 reports of anaphylaxis. In all, 19 serious adverse events (6.1%) were reported.
The authors concluded, "Review of VAERS reports did not identify any concerning pattern."
Oct 27 Vaccine study
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-persp...an-oct-28-2015