Flu vaccine production hits snag.

It looks like it might quite a while before there is enough vaccine for all of us. Excellent! maybe they won't hunt us down and make us get it as they will be struggling providing for those who do.


H1N1 vaccine hits snag with production 'less than optimal'

July 13, 2009
HELEN BRANSWELL
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Production of a vaccine for the H1N1 flu virus has hit a snag, with manufacturers reporting a disappointingly low yield when viruses are grown in eggs.

The World Health Organization says so far the yield for egg-based production is half or less what manufacturers get when they make vaccine to protect against seasonal flu viruses.

New seed strains are being made in the hopes of increasing the vaccine yield, says a report by the WHO's vaccine chief, Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny.

But if the yield cannot be increased, it will slow the rate at which pandemic vaccine comes out of the production pipeline, adding to the time it takes to protect populations in countries like Canada that have purchased vaccine. And countries that haven't pre-ordered pandemic vaccine would face substantial delays before manufacturers have product to sell to them.

"There's nothing to suggest it will take longer to make vaccine, if in fact everything goes as planned. The question is: How much?'' says Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

[link to news.therecord.com]