Next season's flu vaccine is a hot item

An early rush to order flu vaccine is seen by some as a sign that the word is finally out on the importance of immunization.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Feb. 27, 2006.

Washington -- It was probably easier to get tickets for the Super Bowl than it was Jan. 31 to prebook next season's flu vaccine from Sanofi Pasteur, concluded Mitchell Miller, MD, a family physician in Virginia Beach, Va.

That was the day the firm began its prebooking process, and Dr. Miller, former president of the Medical Society of Virginia, was ready. He assigned one staff person to place his order. But she couldn't get through. When she finally did the next day, all the vaccine -- except for pediatric preservative-free version -- was spoken for. Even the waiting list was full.

Dr. Miller wasn't alone. The scenario was repeated in doctors' offices nationwide. Sanofi received more than 40,000 phone calls in the first 30 minutes alone. Under normal conditions, 1,500 customers call each day.

The rush for vaccine raised concerns that the production and distribution problems that have plagued the annual flu vaccine supply for the past two years could be sticking around for the upcoming season as well.

But there is still the chance to order vaccine for next year from distribution firms. Although their volume of calls is also running well above normal, at least two distributors said that, as of earlier this month, they still were accepting orders.

Although the ordering rush proved frustrating for many, others stepped back for the big picture and found reasons for optimism. "We see this unprecedented early demand as proof of the public's growing awareness of the importance of obtaining vaccination for influenza," said Mitchel C. Rothholz, RPh, a member of the executive committee of the National Influenza Summit, an initiative co-sponsored by the AMA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.