Canada looks to share vaccine as flu cases wane

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Canada looks to share vaccine as flu cases wane

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Canada is considering how much vaccine it will share with other countries, with a third of Canadians now immunized for the H1N1 flu, Canada's chief public health officer said on Wednesday.

Overall, 30 to 35 percent of Canadians have been vaccinated, Dr. David Butler-Jones said in a news conference in Ottawa.

He said the federal government and World Health Organization are talking about what to do with surplus vaccine doses.

"Canada will be there. There are still discussions as to exactly what and when," he said in response to a reporter's question about whether Canada would share extra vaccine. "... The vaccine will not be wasted."

Poor countries in the southern hemisphere will need help during spring in Canada, he said, when flu season is typically over.

Health officials have said the H1N1 flu may have peaked in Canada and provincial governments have been closing some public vaccination clinics.

The numbers of deaths and hospitalizations related to the flu are dropping, Butler-Jones said, who cautioned that he couldn't predict that the decline would continue.

By the end of the week, the federal government will have distributed 24 million doses to the provincial governments, which carry out vaccinations. It has ordered 50.4 million doses from GlaxoSmithKline for a population of 33.7 million.

The rate of vaccination varies among Canada's provinces and territories from 25 to 66 percent, said Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq.

(Reporting by Rod Nickel; Editing by Frank McGurty)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5B853A20091209

 

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Re: Canada looks to share vaccine as flu cases wane

What to do with millions of excess swine flu doses?

The Canadian Press
Date: Thursday Dec. 10, 2009 8:19 AM ET
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TORONTO<!-- /dateline --> ? The federal government is trying to decide what to do with what's expected to be tens of millions of leftover doses of H1N1 vaccine.

The provinces say demand for the vaccine is becoming soft.

That's despite the fact vaccination rates are less than 50 per cent in all but the three northern territories.

Canada ordered just over 50 million doses from GlaxoSmithKline last summer when it was thought each person might need two shots.

That means half the order may go unclaimed.

Doctor David Butler-Jones, head of the Public Health Agency of Canada, says whatever happens, the "vaccine will not be wasted."

He says around the world, "there's a tremendous demand" for the H1N1 vaccine, which has a shelf life of about 18 months.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091210/h1n1_excess_091210/20091210?hub=Health

 

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Re: Canada looks to share vaccine as flu cases wane

What to do with excess H1N1 vaccine?

Updated: Thu Dec. 10 2009 05:19:09

<SCRIPT language=javascript type=text/javascript> var byString = ""; var sourceString = "The Canadian Press"; if ((sourceString != "") && (byString != "")) { document.write(byString + ", "); } else { document.write(byString); }</SCRIPT>The Canadian Press
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TORONTO<!-- /dateline --> ? Canada is in discussions with pandemic vaccine maker GlaxoSmithKline and with the World Health Organization about what to do with the country's expected surplus of H1N1 vaccine, the head of the Public Health Agency of Canada said Wednesday.

By the end of this week nearly 24 million doses of vaccine will have been shipped to provinces and territories, which are reporting demand for H1N1 shots is subsiding.

But that is only half of the country's total order of 50.4 million doses, placed when it was thought two shots per person might be needed for protection.

While public health officials still hope to be able to persuade more Canadians to get vaccinated, the possibility exists that the country may have as much of half of its vaccine order go unclaimed.

"Obviously our hope is that far more people will be immunized because we're far from done (with) this virus," said Dr. David Butler-Jones, head of the public health agency and Canada's chief public health officer.

But if that doesn't happen "vaccine will not be wasted." he insisted.
"There's a tremendous demand around the world."

Federal officials have been refusing to say what they will do with the excess vaccine. While many other developed countries have pledged vaccine to the World Health Organization for redistribution to developing countries, Canada has held back, to the puzzlement of the country's peers.

And Butler-Jones appeared to be hinting the country would continue to do so for a while, noting there will still be need for vaccine at the end of Canada's winter, when the Southern Hemisphere heads into its second flu season with this new virus.

"There are needs now and there are needs ongoing because we will be coming into the Southern Hemisphere's (winter) where many of the poorest countries exist," he said.

"Our spring is their fall, moving into their season. That's an ongoing discussion that we're having with WHO and Canada will be there."

Butler-Jones said the rate of vaccine uptake across the country varies.

Some provinces are reporting the percentage of people vaccinated is in the low 30s, but Quebec has topped 40 per cent, he said. Rates are highest in the three northern territories, which have vaccinated between 50 and 60 per cent of their populations.

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/...cess_091210/20091210/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

 

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Re: Canada looks to share vaccine as flu cases wane

Provinces unsure what to do with extra H1N1 vaccines

Chantaie Allick, National Post: Monday, December 14, 2009

As H1N1 flu clinics continue to close across the country and with decrease demand for the shot, governments and health officials are dealing with an unexpected surplus of vaccine -- although few provinces have determined what they will do with the millions of leftover doses.

The federal government has distributed a total of 24.6 million adjuvanted and unadjuvanted doses of vaccine to the provinces. Fewer than 13.8 million doses have been administered. Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada?s chief public health officer, said the federal government and World Health Organization are talking about what to do with surplus vaccine doses.

There is no national plan in place yet to deal with the extra vaccines, he said.

The federal government recently announced declines in demand for the vaccine and most of the provinces have noted a decrease in the severity and impact of the virus, including fewer positive tests for H1N1. The number of deaths and hospitalizations related to the flu are dropping across the country, said Dr. Butler-Jones. These numbers have declined steadily for weeks.

British Columbia?s provincial health officer, Perry Kendall, said, ?We don?t have a plan as yet. There are a number of potential options and I don?t know which option will be landed on.? Mr. Kendall added, ?Each jurisdiction knows that there are some options on the table, but until we?ve made a decision around how many doses we?ll need and how many should be stockpiled I don?t think we have any sense of what the direction will be.?

Options include keeping extra doses for next year (although the vaccine only has a one-year shelf life), seeing if some can be sold on the market, or making a donation to a developing country.

Both Quebec and B.C. said they expect to have surpluses since less than 100% of their populations will receive the vaccine. Other provinces have said it is too early to tell and continue to focus on getting as many people vaccinated as possible.

?We are very well stocked with vaccines, we don?t want our supplies sitting in cold storage, we want to get as many doses as possible into as many arms as possible as soon as possible,? said Dr. Arlene King, Chief Health Officer of Ontario. ?Right now there are no plans to recall vaccine,? added Dr. King. She said that vaccinations will continue to be administered in Ontario until at least spring and the end of flu season.

Those provinces that have begun to address the issue vary in how they plan to proceed. Alberta will simply send any additional vaccines back to the federal government while Saskatchewan, like most other provinces, is waiting to hear what comes of national consultations between the provinces and the federal government before deciding on a course of action.

?There is a national conversation happening including the Public Health Agency of Canada to discuss a strategy around what to do with the excess vaccine. We are participating in those conversations and will use that as a decision-making tool,? said Karen Hill with Saskatchewan public health. But those conversations have not begun officially, according to Mr. Kendall.

According to representatives of the Public Health Agency of Canada, the federal government is reviewing a number of options. ?Once we are confident that we have enough vaccine in Canada to meet current needs and potential future contingencies, we will announce our decision. We cannot predict what H1N1 flu activity will look like over the coming weeks, and therefore we continue to encourage Canadians to get vaccinated. We will keep enough H1N1 flu vaccine in Canada to immunize everyone who wants and needs it now, and over the next month,? the agency said in a statement.

Once mass clinics close, provinces will continue to provide vaccines through physicians and public health clinics. They are also available through pharmacies in British Columbia and Alberta.

http://news.globaltv.com/health/Provinces+unsure+what+with+extra+H1N1+vaccines/2340024/story.html

 

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Re: Canada looks to share vaccine as flu cases wane

Excess H1N1 vaccine could be sold, kept in reserve

By Meagan Fitzpatrick, Canwest News Service
January 1, 2010 3:02 PM

Federal officials will be deciding soon what to do with millions of doses of excess H1N1 vaccine while at the same time still trying to convince Canadians to roll up their sleeves.

?Early in the new year we'll be making a decision on that. But our priority is to get the vaccine to Canadians,? Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said in a year-end interview with Canwest News Service.

Unless significantly more Canadians decide they want the vaccine, the country is poised to have more than 20 million unused doses at the end of this flu season in April.

About 45 per cent of the population has been vaccinated since the H1N1 shot became available across the country on Oct. 26.

Demand for the vaccine slowed down so much by late December, however, that the provinces asked the manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline to stop sending them shipments. They already had received thousands of doses that weren't needed by local public health units and instead were put in storage.

Canada ordered 50.4 million doses from GSK and also bought 200,000 doses from Australia for a total price tag of $402.5 million. It wasn't until after the order was placed that it was determined only one dose would be needed to provide immunity. The federal government is covering 60 per cent of the cost and the provinces and territories the rest.

Canada is on the hook to pay for all 50 million doses even if it doesn't want it all.

?There are some options to mitigate the cost that we are exploring now,? chief public health officer David Butler-Jones said in the interview.

Federal officials are keeping a tight lip on those options, saying only that they will elaborate when they are confident they have ?enough vaccine to meet current needs and future contingencies.?

Keeping some, or all, of the remaining supply in reserve for later is one possibility. If a third wave of illness crops up in the next few weeks, or a high-profile death grabs headlines like that of a 13-year-old boy in the fall, more Canadians may be prompted to get the shot. The government will have to decide how much vaccine to keep in reserve and how much it could afford to give away or sell to other nations.

The H1N1 vaccine is comprised of an antigen and an adjuvant, which boosts the immune system and makes the vaccine more effective. They are bottled separately and mixed together shortly before the shot is administered.

The vaccine antigen has a shelf life of 18 months, which is long enough to get through some of the next flu season, and the adjuvant lasts three years.

It is not yet known though whether the H1N1 virus will be incorporated into the seasonal flu shot, or, whether the existing vaccine will still be required.

Butler-Jones said that producing the adjuvant separately has advantages.

If the H1N1 virus shifts in its makeup, for example, a new antigen could be created and the existing adjuvant could still be used with it. It could also be used with an entirely new kind of virus, should one appear and pose a risk.

?We will, in fact, have capacity, should something change, to actually adapt to it very quickly,? said Butler-Jones.

Selling the vaccine is another option, but Canada won't be the only country looking for customers. Many countries ordered enough vaccine to cover their entire populations, or more, but with uptake nowhere near 100 per cent in any nation, they will also have a glut of vaccine on their hands.

Germany, for example, has said it wants to sell more than two million of its doses and Spain has been talking to its manufacturers about returning its excess stock. The Swiss government, which ordered 13 million doses for its population of 7.7 million, has said it would be giving up 4.5 million doses. Some will be sold to other countries and some will be donated to the World Health Organization. The agency is collecting vaccine for 95 developing nations that can't afford to buy it. Canada has not definitively said it will donate vaccine to WHO, but it has committed some cash to help with the global pandemic response.

?We will be making decisions whether we will donate (vaccine) to other countries or not but that involves working with Minister Oda's shop as well,? Aglukkaq said, referring to Bev Oda, the minister for international co-operation.

According to Butler-Jones, there are many variables that need to be considered before a final decision is made on surplus vaccine.

?There are a lot of questions yet; until more of those questions are answered it's hard to be specific about what's going to happen,? he said.

http://www.canada.com/health/Excess+H1N1+vaccine+could+sold+kept+reserve/2397560/story.html

 

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Re: Canada looks to share vaccine as flu cases wane

Canada to lend Mexico H1N1 vaccine

Last Updated: Wednesday, January 6, 2010 | 1:08 PM ET

CBC News


Canada will lend Mexico five million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine, the federal government announced Wednesday.

The vaccine doses will help bridge Mexico's immediate needs, but it is not a donation. Mexico is expected to replace the doses by the end of March.

"We are privileged that we are in a position to support Mexico's pandemic response efforts," Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said in a release.

"The immediate response to Mexico's request by Canada's federal, provincial and territorial governments serves as testimony to the special relationship that exists between Canada and Mexico."

Mexico's government placed orders for H1N1 flu vaccine with several manufacturers but the bulk of the order will only be available at the end of January, the Public Health Agency of Canada said.

Canada bought 50.4 million doses of vaccine in August, when it seemed people would need two doses of vaccine. Studies now suggest that only young children need two doses.
Vaccine need in developing countries

The Public Health Agency estimates that between 40 and 45 per cent of Canadians have been vaccinated. Demand for H1N1 vaccine has dropped in Canada and internationally.

Many other developed countries have pledged H1N1 vaccine to the World Health Organization to redistribute to developing countries without vaccine contracts.

In mid-December, federal health officials said they planned to make a decision about what do with leftover vaccine in about two weeks. Options included selling some to countries such as the U.S., or donating the bulk to WHO to pass on to developing countries.

"If you really want to hold a mirror up to our nation, you might ask the question why we're lending and not just giving," Dr. Ross Upshur, head of the University of Toronto's Joint Centre for Bioethics, said when he heard the news that Canada would be lending vaccine doses to Mexico.

"What does that say about us? We're not using the vaccine that we have, we've got a surplus, but we're not big enough just to simply give?"

The Netherlands, Spain, France and Germany are among those that have publicly acknowledged they are looking to either sell excess vaccine or scale back their orders.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/01/06/h1n1-vaccine-canada-mexico.html?ref=rss

 

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Re: Canada looks to share vaccine as flu cases wane

Canada donates surplus H1N1 vaccine to WHO

January 28, 2010
Richard J. Brennan
OTTAWA BUREAU

OTTAWA?Canada is donating 10 per cent of its H1N1 vaccine or five millions doses to the World Health Organization to support its global pandemic relief efforts, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced Thursday.

?We are fortunate to be in a position to contribute H1N1 flu vaccine to the WHO to help developing countries now that we have met Canada?s immediate needs,? Aglukkaq said in a statement, adding Canada is also making a $6 million contribution.

?The Government of Canada will work collaboratively with the WHO to ensure its vaccine donation is shipped in a timely way to those countries most in need,? she said.

The minister noted a Jan. 22 WHO report citing ?intense H1N1 flu activity? in recent weeks in North Africa, South Asia and parts of Eastern Europe.

?Developing countries are particularly vulnerable to H1N1 flu because they have little or no access to needed resources to address this urgent health situation. CIDA?s support will help provide vaccine and increase their capacity to respond to the H1N1 flu among the most vulnerable in these countries,? International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda said.

Earlier this month, Canada also shipped five million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to help Mexico.

Meanwhile, the Public Health Agency says there is a number of signs pointing to the end of the second wave of the H1N1 outbreak in Canada, including a decrease in reported rates of H1N1 infection, hospitalization and deaths.

However, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler-Jones cautioned it?s too early to declare victory:

?We are continuing to encourage Canadians who have not yet been vaccinated to do so ? not only because the H1N1 flu virus is still circulating in some communities, but also because getting vaccinated today will provide individuals with a strong base of protection in the event of a third H1N1 flu virus wave or if the virus drifts,? he stated.


http://www.healthzone.ca/health/new...8--canada-donates-surplus-h1n1-vaccine-to-who