Officials look to overhaul vaccine-supply model

[tetano]

Federal and provincial health officials have launched a sweeping review of Canada's flu vaccination system in the wake of the H1N1 scare.

In a notice sent to the drug industry yesterday, government officials signalled that they plan to overhaul the supply system and move away from the current model of having only one Canadian-based supplier for pandemic vaccines.

The single-source system dates back more than ten years when federal officials worried that a global flu outbreak would prompt countries with vaccine plants to close their borders. As a result, the federal government signed a 10-year contract in 2001, worth about $300-million, with GlaxoSmithKline Inc., the only company with a Canadian flu vaccine plant. Glaxo also supplies much of Canada's seasonal flu vaccine from its Canadian facility based in Ste.-Foy, Que.

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...overhaul-vaccine-supply-model/article1501653/

 

[Commonground]

Re: Officials look to overhaul vaccine-supply model

16/03/2010 7:38:00 PM
Feds start talks with industry, provinces on next pandemic flu vaccine contract

Helen Branswell, Medical Reporter, THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO - The federal government wants to explore options for Canada's next pandemic flu vaccine contract, telling industry it will consider whether it is feasible and worthwhile to have a back-up deal with a company other than its main supplier.

<script>initializeArticleBodyFontSize()</script> But the way the notice to industry is worded, it appears GlaxoSmithKline has a virtual lock on the main contract, unless another manufacturer decides to build a new flu vaccine facility in Canada.
The notice said the government's future strategy will be based on three elements, the first of which is awarding a long-term contract for 100 per cent of the country's pandemic vaccine needs to a domestically located manufacturer.

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As pandemic planning picked up steam over the last decade with concern over H5N1 bird flu, planners anticipated that a bad pandemic would prompt producing countries to close their borders to exports of flu vaccine and flu drugs until their own needs had been met.
"And that could still happen," Kendall said, who noted that it occurred even with the mild swine flu pandemic.

-snip-
http://news.sympatico.ca/Canada/Con...line=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=True

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Officials look to overhaul vaccine-supply model

snip ..As pandemic planning picked up steam over the last decade with concern over H5N1 bird flu, planners anticipated that a bad pandemic would prompt producing countries to close their borders to exports of flu vaccine and flu drugs until their own needs had been met.
"And that could still happen," Kendall said, who noted that it occurred even with the mild swine flu pandemic.
At the height of the global demand for H1N1 vaccine last fall, Australian manufacturer CSL Ltd. had to delay filling an order for the United States because Australia wanted to start vaccinating its citizenry immediately.
"So if you want to avoid that happening, you need a domestic capacity," Kendall said. "We have a domestic capacity." snip