MEDI...
Do you have any thoughts about MEDI?
There seems to be a renewed interest in this company due to the flu outbreak, and the announcement that two flu vaccine makers have sold their production of the vaccine. As mentioned in this article, this does not mean that flu shots are no longer available, and this isn't an unusual for this time of year. I believe that most large practices have the ability to order the flu vaccine, and to reorder a certain amount of the vaccine....which would account for the vaccine that is currently in the "medical supply chain", and that has been sold.
In this area the flu vaccine is still available if not through a primary care physician, the other option remains to obtain a flu shot through the county health services. Some patients and physicians choose to not receive the flu vaccine, since having the vaccine is not a guarantee that you won't come down with the flu.
I have read that the FluMist product is not doing very well, primarily because of the limiting factor of the patients who are able to use the product, the cost of the FluMist nasal vaccine, and that most insurance carriers do not cover this vaccine under their plans. Someone choosing the FluMist vaccine has to pay for the cost of that vaccine, which is about $70-80 in this area.
In one large primary care practice, the physicians ordered 2000 flu vaccines....and 35 FluMist nasal vaccines. The 2000 flu shots have already been used or "reserved" for specific patients, and only 3 of the 35 FluMist nasal vaccines have been used. It seems that patients even in what would be considered a wealthy area, do not want to pay for the FluMist vaccine when it isn't covered by their insurance.
I am somewhat skeptical that the latest news stories will help to sell the FluMist vaccine. I may be completely wrong with my assumption, but I was wondering if you have any different "feedback"...and feel that MEDI should be a "buy" at this level? Thanks!
biz.yahoo.com
CHICAGO, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Two big flu vaccine makers said on Friday their entire production had been sold to hospitals and other providers as Americans rushed to get shots in an outbreak that has killed a number of children.
The developments do not mean that flu shots are no longer available in the medical supply chain, but they offer further evidence of an unusually early and severe onset of the illness. Most supplies of the vaccine have been distributed to doctors, health departments and other providers, which is not uncommon at this time of the year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Still drug maker Aventis SA (Paris:AVEP.PA - News; NYSE:AVE - News) said most of its production was already spoken for and shipped before the flu season began and said recent outbreaks "caused an unprecedented surge of vaccine orders ... which accounted for the balance of our inventory."
Aventis, based in Strasbourg, France, is one of a handful of companies that still make the flu vaccine. Complications from flu kill roughly 36,000 Americans in an average year, according to the CDC.
That agency has already warned that the illness is off to an unusually early start, raising fears of widespread illness. On Friday CDC officials said they are assessing the supply pipeline, noting that many more people than in recent memory are lining up to get a flu shot.
"People wishing to be vaccinated may need to be persistent to find vaccine," CDC chief Julie Gerberding said in a statement.
Chiron Corp. (NasdaqNM:CHIR - News) another big maker of the flu vaccine in the United States, said it committed its entire vaccine complement to wholesalers at the beginning of the season.
"It's always a balance to ensure you produce enough but don't overproduce," spokesman John Gallagher said.
EXTRA DOSES?
CDC officials said they will decide if extra doses should be shipped elsewhere, such as to states where the need was greater.
CDC reported widespread flu in 13 mostly western and southern states as well as regional outbreaks in 16 other states and New York City.
Those most at risk of death from flu complications such as pneumonia are the elderly and infirm; but there have been unsettling reports this year of a number of fatalities among children.
Published reports in Colorado on Friday said as many as seven children in that state may have died as a result of flu infections and local reports indicated there could be as many as six other children dead in other states.
The viral infection is particularly widespread in Colorado and Texas. Last month Gerberding said Atlanta-based CDC was worried about a new strain of flu that does not match the current vaccine, although the vaccine should still provide some protection.
"We've had a plentiful supply of flu vaccine so far, but it's conceivable a shortage could develop in the next few weeks because it's a bad flu season this year," said Marc Siegel of New York Medical Center. "If a lot of people hear about this year's epidemic and go and get shots, we could go from surplus to shortage."
Symptoms of the flu include fever, sore throat, cough and muscle aches.
NASAL SPRAY
Shares of MedImmune Inc. (NasdaqNM:MEDI - News), which makes a nasal flu spray, rose $1.64 or about 6.5 percent to $27.04 on the Nasdaq.
MedImmune Inc. and Wyeth (NYSE:WYE - News) this year began selling the world's first nasal flu vaccine, called FluMist, but sales have been hampered by poor demand -- in part because it costs up to five times more than conventional flu shots.
Wyeth had been the second biggest producer of flu shots, making more than one third of the nation's supply, but dropped the product line to focus on FluMist.
MedImmune spokeswoman Jamie Lacey on Friday declined to say whether the nasal product's flagging sales have been helped by unexpectedly strong demand for flu shots.
Shares of Aventis were down 11 cents at $59.18 on the New York Stock Exchange (News - Websites) . |
