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http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=7006167&sec
tion=news
REUTERS
U.S. to Buy Investigational Flu Vaccines

Dec 6, 2004


By Peggy Peck
CHICAGO (Reuters Health) - The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention said today that Health and Human Services Secretary
Tommy Thompson has finalized a deal to buy investigational flu vaccines from
international manufacturers, for use this flu season.

Dr. Julie Geberding, speaking at an American Medical Association forum on
the current flu vaccine shortage, said that "since these vaccines are
investigational they will require informed consent."

Asked for specifics, Geberding said "a standard medical consent will be
required."

She declined to elaborate on the number of investigational vaccine doses
covered by the new agreement. "Secretary Thompson will answer all those
questions," she said.

During the same presentation, Geberding said the CDC considers the
likelihood of a bird flu pandemic to be "very high."

Dr. David R. Johnson, director of scientific and medical affairs at Aventis
Pasteur, said that a bird flu pandemic is generally considered "a question
of when, not if." But while Geberding said some data suggest human-to-human
transmission of bird flu, he pointed out that "there is no evidence yet of
efficient human-to-human transmission."

When asked about CDC efforts to avoid a vaccine shortage similar to the one
experienced this year when the UK pulled the manufacturing license of
vaccine maker Chiron, Geberding said the CDC "can never guarantee that a
shortage won't happen again."

She continued: "The best we can do is to identify maximum, safe production
goals, work with the Food and Drug Administration to bring Chiron back on
line, which we are doing; and scale up our investment in a flu vaccine
stockpile to guarantee a market to manufacturers. But what we really need is
more manufacturers making more vaccine."








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