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Who has won the buffalo with the swine flu?

Flu: stop at 24 million doses of vaccine

infection in decline across Europe. Fazio cancel the purchase. Germany and France revise contracts

LONDON - France has officially declared the epidemic of influenza A, at least in metropolitan areas: two weeks, the center-Sentinel reported fewer cases than necessary to speak of an epidemic, although the virus continues to circulate. In the rest of Europe, according to the WHO, infections have declined in Italy and the curve of infections, after a peak in mid-November, fell gradually, except the last week to prison. So most of the vaccines purchased by the health authorities of various European countries, may remain in the warehouses. Not only does the epidemic was not as bad as expected, but the people did not trusted the vaccine and, furthermore, a single dose (instead of two) has proved sufficient for immunization.

REVERSE GEAR ON CONTRACTS - And now the government, who had been competing for the vaccine to the sound of millions of euro, are rushing to cancel orders and review contracts with manufacturers. As a first idea. Or, are planning to sell the surplus to others (eg Mexico, the country where the epidemic started, he just claimed to have received only half of the thirty million doses required), or donate a portion to poor countries. Germany leads the group of those who renegotiation: about 50 million doses ordered GSK, I will buy only 35 million, 70 percent, saving about 133 million euro. Even Britain is considering the cancellation of orders (60 million doses required to GSK and Baxter to 30 million: today, they were used 24 and 5 million). The contract with Baxter provides the blocking of supply, not that of GSK and is therefore a different story.

ITALY BUYING HALF - The Minister of Health Ferruccio Fazio, responding to a question, said that Italy has canceled half of the originally planned purchases (ie the 24 million doses that would provide Sanofi), and signed the contract with Novartis for 24 million doses and for a cost of approximately € 180 million: of these, only ten million have been produced and delivered. And the ones you use? Approximately 900 000 since the beginning of the campaign, according to the latest data. "Italy had also expected - says Fabrizio Oleari, Director General of Prevention Ministry of Health - to provide 10 percent of its vaccine to WHO. There remains, therefore, little more than a total of 21 million doses. " According to Fazio Italy is among the G8 countries, the one with the lowest vaccine stocks, stocks that, though, is "essential to maintain, because the influenza pandemics are by their nature, unpredictable." France, which is thought to vaccinate the entire population and has ordered 94 million doses to 4 different companies, is trying to wipe out 50 million (only 8 percent of French and vaccines), so are also the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.

IF POLAND - White fly in the European and world Poland: the government has not provided any vaccination campaign simply because they did not consider the vaccine safe. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: "We made this decision in the interests of citizens, because the vaccine has not been sufficiently tested, and taxpayers. " Many Poles now rejoice (despite 145 deaths to date, comparable, however, to those of other countries) not only because public funds were saved, but also because they consider this decision an act of defiance against multinational drug companies, the Union European Union and the WHO. In fact, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, in these days, is launching an investigation to see if there have been pressures from the pharmaceutical industry sull'Oms, which would have been too hastily declared of a pandemic, and its consultants, who have links with multinational companies.

Adriana Bazzi
January 15, 2010 by
Corriere.it