US ready to use measure to lure flu vaccine makers

[Guest guest]

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2006/02/14/eline/links/20060214elin013.

html

US ready to use measure to lure flu vaccine makers

Last Updated: 2006-02-14 14:30:10 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Maggie Fox

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt

said on Monday he is ready to make use of a special measure to grant

vaccine makers immunity from liability from lawsuits over pandemic flu

vaccines.

Leavitt was given this power in controversial last-minute legislation

passed by Congress in December as part of the U.S. defense budget.

The measure is aimed at encouraging vaccine makers to get back into the

American market.

Leavitt said he is particularly keen to persuade manufacturers to open

vaccine factories on U.S. soil, so there would be no problem with supplies

in case of an influenza pandemic.

Manufacturers have said they are put off by fears that they could be forced

to spend hundreds of millions of dollars fighting off lawsuits from people

who are harmed, or who claim to be harmed, by vaccines.

The new legislation allows the health secretary to lift this liability in

case of a pandemic.

Leavitt is negotiating with manufacturers who want to contract with the

U.S. government to make vaccines and would invoke the special powers when

needed to keep negotiations moving, he said.

" I am going to do it as soon as it is necessary to assure continued

progress, " he told reporters. " When we get to that point ... I will use the

power. Until then, I won't. "

Some Democrats had objected to the language slipped into the defense budget

bill, arguing that people who were genuinely hurt by vaccines needed some

compensation mechanism.

Manufacturers have pressed for a program that resembles that in place for

childhood vaccines. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program allows parents

to petition for compensation from a fund set up by the federal government

and manufacturers that bypasses the question of liability.

Just four companies currently produce flu vaccine for the American market

and only one makes it on U.S. soil. There are regular shortages of vaccine

and experts are worried about what would happen if there were a flu pandemic.

Vaccine makers and health experts all agree it would take months to get

started on a vaccine against H5N1 avian influenza and warn that there is

insufficient manufacturing capacity to make enough doses to cope with a

bird flu pandemic.

Experts also agree that in the event of a pandemic, most countries would

keep any vaccine made on their territory - leaving very little for the

United States.

" Our objective is to create the capacity to manufacture 300 million doses

of (pandemic) flu vaccine in six months, " Leavitt said. To do that, vaccine

makers would have to be assured of a steady market.

" That capacity has to remain warm. Someone has to be using those facilities

to make vaccine of some sort, " Leavitt added. " It is not unreasonable for

us to be looking at 180 to 200 million doses annually. "

The most influenza vaccine ever produced for the U.S. market is half that

amount.

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

$$ Donations to help in the work - accepted by Paypal account

earthmysteriestours@... voicemail US 530-740-0561

(go to http://www.paypal.com) or by mail

Vaccines - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm

Vaccine Dangers On-Line course - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccineclass.htm

Homeopathy On-Line course - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/homeo.htm