Physicians watchful after announced flu vaccine delay

One large manufacturer has announced sterility problems that will delay their supplies until early October. Doctors hope that will be just in time.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews staff. Sept. 20, 2004.

When family physician James Martin, MD, heard the news that one of the two manufacturers of injectable influenza vaccine was experiencing difficulties and would delay until early October delivery of a significant portion of the 97 million expected doses, he panicked. Supply lines for recent seasons have not always been reliable, and his San Antonio medical practice hasn't always had what it needed.

"We were affected last year, pretty substantially, and when I heard, I thought, 'Oh no, we don't need that again,' " he said. "But we're in good shape."

He's one of the lucky ones. As of the end of August, his office already had received half the ordered flu vaccine, and his staff doesn't expect any delays.

Others aren't quite so fortunate.

George Voigtlander, MD, a family physician with Pawnee County Rural Health in Pawnee City, Neb., already has been told he will receive only about three-quarters of his order. When delivery will occur is also an open question.

"I'll have to wait and see what they actually do," he said. "Every year seems to be a little bit worse."

These two physicians are facing examples of the feast and famine that has come to characterize flu vaccine distribution. Some physicians have plenty, while others have none.

For this fall, millions of doses already have been delivered. Many more are on the way, but those who ordered from Chiron, the manufacturer that made news late last month with its announcement that some vaccine lots did not meet sterility specifications, probably will have to wait until the company is back on track.