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Germany, Spain want to return unused H1N1 vaccine
With even the most vulnerable segments of their populations shrugging off the threat of swine flu, Germany and Spain want to hand back unused stockpiles of the H1N1 vaccine. And if other countries follow suit, big vaccine manufacturers could have a big bite taken out of their revenue.
Three companies--GSK, Novartis and Sanofi--are getting a $5.3 billion windfall from the sale of swine flu vaccine. But they may not get to keep it all. Their contracts allow countries to return unused vaccine so supplies can be shipped on to other countries. "The return of excess quantities by Germany and Spain creates downside risk of up to 15 percent of total swine flu revenues for these companies," write analysts at J.P. Morgan.
Meanwhile, H1N1 vaccine is flowing into the U.S. at a fast pace, with 10 million new doses arriving every week. So far, 95 million doses are on hand and just about half of all states have lifted restrictions on who can get a shot.
But as more vaccine arrives, it's clear that the pandemic has passed its peak. Two months ago, 48 states were reporting widespread illness. That's down to 14 now. Some 50 million people have contracted H1N1, but with 10,000 dead, the mortality rate is no higher than with seasonal flu. And the relative mildness of the virus has prompted growing numbers of Americans to take a pass on the vaccine.
School officials throughout the country are continuing to report that a minority of students are choosing to get vaccinated against swine flu. One school in Texas says the vaccination rate for students--among the most vulnerable to a severe reaction--is less than half. In Massachusetts, the initial scramble for the swine flu vaccine has given way to easy access as interest wanes.
- here's the Reuters story on Germany and Spain
- and here's the AP report on U.S. vaccine trends
Related Articles:
Vaccine demand plunges as H1N1 pandemic fears fade
Drugstore giants wrestle for H1N1 vaccine supplies
Manufacturers jump the gun on seasonal vax deliveries
Comments
I don't understand why European countries were buying so much swine flu vaccinations at all. First of all the epidemics was very weak - I am talking about Europe. There were only few h1n1 cases here. It is natural that nobody is buying those vaccinations, maybe only those who had really felt swine flu symptoms. Of course now it is not good to return those vaccinations to the distributors. It is not logical at all. What will they do with them? If you had bought it - keep it with you. Of course it is a little bit sad that people are doing business when innocent people are suffering. However it is the reality in which we are living now. Thanks for the interesting article though. Keep writing them in the future too.
This is so waste of resources. Why this countries buy at this large amount. H1N1 virus have spread to large extend. For this a new vaccine was launched. But returning vaccine just for business is bad. The government is playing with the lives of the innocent people. This is so unethical.
shingles symptoms
This is not god. This is wastage of resources. Swine flu vaccines are in great demand these days & so they should not return them at any cost.
pneumonia symptoms
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