News in brief - Sept. 11, 2006

Flu shot manufacturers start shipping vaccine - FDA's drug directory woefully inaccurate

Flu shot manufacturers start shipping vaccine

The first shipments of the more than 100 million doses of influenza vaccine expected before the end of the flu season have started making their way to physicians and other health care practitioners.

MedImmune, which makes the intranasal version, started shipping at the end of July. Novartis Pharmaceuticals, which bought the vaccine manufacturer Chiron Corp. last year, began sending out doses of the injectable version in August. Sanofi Pasteur and GlaxoSmithKline are rolling out shots this month.

After several years of shortages and delays in vaccine supplies, many experts and public health officials expect ample supplies this season.

FDA's drug directory woefully inaccurate

All currently marketed prescription medications are required to be listed in the Food and Drug Administration's National Drug Code Directory, but thousands are missing. Thousands more are still registered even though they have been taken off the market, according to a report by the Dept. of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General.

Researchers are concerned about these inaccuracies because this information is used by the agency to ensure drug safety, recall tainted products and monitor medication imports.

The OIG found many of the inaccuracies were a result of pharmaceutical firms failing to notify the FDA when drugs were introduced or withdrawn, although the authors also found applications for some unlisted drugs were in FDA files but not processed.