Supplies of this year’s influenza vaccine are going out on time, according
to the Department of Health.
A report in the Times on September 20, which discussed development and supply
problems with the vaccine, said that Solvay Healthcare, one of the five manufacturers
of the vaccine, would be “forced to delay most of its vaccines by until
at least the end of October”.
Solvay Healthcare told The Journal on September 20 that there were problems
with developing the vaccine. However, it was currently delivering stocks of
the vaccine and supplying customers with 30 per cent of their initial orders.
The company said that the remainder of these initial supplies were due to be
delivered from mid to late October and that it was “endeavouring to get
supplies to customers sooner than the dates given.” Solvay further commented
that all customers would receive the quantities that they had requested and
that if customers had a shortage, “an extra 500,000 doses would be available
from early to mid November.”
The DoH told The Journal that Solvay was to supply 15 per cent of the total
number of this year’s influenza vaccine supply and that supplies from the
other four manufacturers were all due to go out by the end of September, if
not before.
The Government’s national ’flu immunisation campaign was expected
to be launched on September 21.