40 Million Expired Swine Flu Vaccines to be Burned

Article

ATLANTA – About a quarter of the swine flu vaccine produced for the U.S. public has expired — meaning that a whopping 40 million doses worth about $260 million are being written off as trash.

"It's a lot, by historical standards," said Jerry Weir, who oversees vaccine research and review for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The outdated vaccine, some of which expired Wednesday, will be incinerated. The amount, as much as four times the usual leftover seasonal flu vaccine, likely sets a record. And that's not even all of it.

About 30 million more doses will expire later and may go unused, according to one government estimate. If all that vaccine expires, more than 43 percent of the supply for the U.S. public will have gone to waste.

40 million is a pretty large amount, and possible 30 million more later on. I guess not that many people got the vaccine? I didnt.

According to an Associated Press calculation based on federal purchasing information, the dollar value of the 40 million expired doses is about $261 million.

I guess $261 million dollars isnt that much compared to what else we spend. Atleast they had enough for a worst case scenario, if there was a major hazard and the vaccines would actually help us. (I dont believe in taking the vaccine at the moment).
Anyways, just thought I would share this.

[edit on 1-7-2010 by buni11687]

Report condemns swine flu experts' ties to big pharma Trio of scientists who urged stockpiling had previously been paid, says report

Scientists who drew up the key World Health Organisation guidelines advising governments to stockpile drugs in the event of a flu pandemic had previously been paid by drug companies which stood to profit, according to a report out today.

Source

Global Corporate Welfare at its finest.

City analysts say that pharmaceutical companies banked more than $7bn (£4.8bn) as governments stockpiled drugs. The issue of transparency has risen to the forefront of public health debate after dramatic predictions last year about a swine flu pandemic did not come true.

Some countries, notably Poland, declined to join the panic-buying of vaccines and antivirals triggered when the WHO declared the swine flu outbreak a pandemic a year ago this week. The UK, which warned that 65,000 could die as a result of the virus, spent an estimated £1bn stockpiling drugs and vaccines; officials are now attempting to unpick expensive drug contracts.

[edit on 1-7-2010 by DancedWithWolves]