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Pharmaceutical industry

Early Start to Flu Season: Manufacturers Begin Shipping Vaccines and CDC Warns of Potential Outbreaks

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

As flu season in the United States typically doesn't peak until February, manufacturers have already begun shipping 2010-11 influenza vaccine. Sanofi Pasteur, MedImmune, GlaxoSmithKline, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. have started distributing their flu vaccine products by the end of July, while Merck and Co. Inc. plans to begin distributing its Afluria vaccine by mid- to late August.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging physicians to begin vaccinations as soon as vaccine is available and continue throughout the influenza season. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has expanded its recommendations for annual influenza vaccination to include all people ages 6 months and older in whom the vaccine is not contraindicated.

Key Takeaways:

  • Manufacturers have begun shipping 2010-11 influenza vaccine, with Sanofi Pasteur planning to distribute 70 million doses, Novartis aiming to deliver 40 million doses, and GlaxoSmithKline targeting more than 30 million doses.
  • The CDC is urging physicians to begin vaccinations as soon as vaccine is available and continue throughout the influenza season, emphasizing the importance of vaccinating people at high risk of developing influenza complications.
  • The ACIP has expanded its recommendations for annual influenza vaccination to include all people ages 6 months and older in whom the vaccine is not contraindicated.
  • Localized outbreaks and sporadic influenza activity during the summer months are not uncommon, and the CDC recommends that physicians consider influenza as a possible diagnosis even during the summer when evaluating patients with acute respiratory illnesses.
  • The CDC advises physicians to use reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or viral culture for laboratory confirmation of influenza and to report unusual increases in febrile respiratory disease outbreaks to local and state health departments.

Key Figures:

  • 70 million: The expected number of doses distributed by Sanofi Pasteur during the 2010-11 season.
  • 40 million: The expected number of doses delivered by Novartis to the U.S. market this season.
  • 30 million: The target number of doses to be distributed by GlaxoSmithKline in the United States this season.
  • 6 months: The age at which the CDC recommends annual influenza vaccination.
  • 9 years: The age recommended for Afluria vaccine by the CDC.
  • 12,000: The approximate number of deaths in the United States linked to the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus last year.

Statistics:

  • According to the CDC, there were two small localized outbreaks of influenza A (H3) in Iowa in July.
  • The CDC received influenza A (H3)-positive specimens from 11 other states from June 20 to July 23.
  • The CDC expects to distribute 70 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine in the United States during the 2010-11 season.
  • Sanofi Pasteur said it expects to distribute 70 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine in the United States during the 2010-11 season.
  • Novartis began shipping Fluvirin on July 29 and expects to deliver about 40 million doses of the vaccine to the U.S. market this season.

Sources:

  • American Academy of Family Physicians (AAPP)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Sanofi Pasteur
  • MedImmune
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
  • Merck and Co. Inc.
  • Vass, NC

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