Flu-vaccine
restraint urged

Because of a flu vaccine shortage,
many are being asked to step
aside for high-risk patients

Hawaii health officials and local health care providers plan to meet today to discuss how to handle the flu vaccine shortage, as U.S. officials scramble to combat the nationwide problem.

Health officials, meanwhile, are strongly urging anyone who does not meet the federal government's flu vaccination priority list to cancel their appointments for a flu shot to make way for those who need them the most.

"We are recommending that people cancel their appointments ... we haven't had to cancel any appointments yet," said Kaiser Permanente spokeswoman Allison Russell. "If you are healthy and you get the flu you'll be out of work a few days, but you'll be OK.

"But if you're one of the risk categories, there could be a more serious consequence, and we need the community to be aware of that," she said.

The risk categories include children 6-23 months, adults over 65, pregnant women, and residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

Nationally, federal officials moved yesterday to direct scarce remaining flu shots straight to pediatricians, nursing homes and other places that care for priority patients.

But only a fraction of the 22.4 million doses that maker Aventis Pasteur has yet to ship can be diverted to areas with the biggest shortages. And officials acknowledged that even if planned rationing goes well, there will be high-risk patients who struggle to get shots but can't find them.

"We're sorry for the people who need flu vaccine and may not be able to get it this year," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "But we will take every step that we can take to get an equitable distribution of vaccine as quickly as we can."

The targeted shipments come as CDC struggles to ensure that the youngest, oldest and sickest Americans -- those most vulnerable to influenza -- have first access to flu shots now that the nation's supply has been cut in half.

Food and Drug Administration officials turned to Canada's major influenza vaccine producer to acquire an estimated 1.5 million extra doses.

Dean Linden, spokesman for ID Biomedical of Vancouver, British Columbia, said negotiations were "an evolving story."

"But ... it's by no means a slam dunk that we're going to be to delivering flu vaccine into the United States this year," Linden said from Vancouver.

Gerberding called "heroes" those healthy adults heeding CDC's plea to forgo flu shots this year. But, "shame on the people who are price gouging," she said, pledging to help state officials prosecute those caught doing so.

There have been scattered reports of price gouging since the shortage was announced, and Kansas filed a lawsuit yesterday against Meds-Stat, a pharmaceutical distributor. Attorney General Phill Kline said Meds-Stat proposed selling the vaccine to a pharmacy in Kansas City, Kan., last Friday for $900 per vial; a week earlier, the company was selling the vaccine for $85 per vial. Each vial contains about 10 doses.

Hawaii health officials said they were not aware of price gouging for vaccine doses locally.

"There might be some out there," said DOH spokeswoman Janice Okubo. "But we haven't heard of any."

British regulators shut down a major U.S. vaccine supplier, Chiron Corp., last week, freezing shipment of up to 48 million expected flu shots. The U.S. attorney in New York has subpoenaed Chiron, the company said yesterday, demanding documents and other information related to the shutdown of its Liverpool plant because of contamination concerns.

That shutdown left Aventis as this year's sole supplier of injectable flu vaccine, a total of 55.4 million doses. More than half already has been sold and shipped, mostly to private distributors. They are doses that can't be yanked back, although Aventis is asking customers to share any not reserved for high-risk patients. Yesterday's plan targets Aventis' remaining shots.