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Biotech / Medical : MedImmune -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IRWIN JAMES FRANKEL who wrote (293)	12/15/2003 5:31:29 PM
From: sjemmeri	Respond to of 416

UPDATE 1-U.S. buys Chiron, Wyeth flu vaccines December 15, 2003 17:18:45 (ET) (Adds details) By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Health and Human Services Department said on Monday it had contracted to buy 375,000 doses of influenza vaccine from Chiron Corp. (CHIR,Trade) and had negotiated a good price for 3 million doses of a second vaccine, FluMist, for any states that want to buy it. The Chiron vaccine was made in Britain but is fully licensed for use in the United States, an HHS spokesman said. Last week Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the government was seeking to buy 500,000 doses of the vaccine from the company. There have been some shortages of influenza vaccine with the onset of an unusually early and possibly severe influenza season in the United States. The CDC recommends that adults over 65, children under 2, people with chronic diseases and pregnant women get immunized against flu. "This additional vaccine is being made available as part of our ongoing effort to meet the demand for vaccine due in large part to an early arrival of flu season," HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said in a statement. The 375,000 doses will be delivered in January, HHS spokesman Bill Pierce said. It has to undergo "lot approval" by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which involves breaking it down from bulk packaging and quality testing each lot. HHS has also negotiated a price for 3 million doses of FluMist, the nasal spray vaccine marketed by Wyeth (WYE,Trade) and made by Maryland-based MedImmune Inc.'s (MEDI,Trade). It will be available for any states that want to buy it, HHS said. FluMist is approved only for healthy people aged 5 to 49. "The FluMist is available immediately," HHS said. Last week, HHS bought 250,000 doses of vaccine from Chiron and the other maker of flu vaccine, Aventis Pasteur ((AVEP.PA)). These were being distributed to states. In an average year influenza kills 36,000 Americans, mostly the elderly, very young children and people with other diseases. It puts 115,000 into the hospital. The CDC said it is not yet clear whether the influenza season is worse this year, although it has clearly hit earlier than usual. The flu season usual peaks in January and lasts from about November through March. Health officials urge Americans to get vaccinated against influenza every year. But most who should do not. Gerberding said 185 million people should be vaccinated because they risk getting really sick from flu, but last year only 83 million did. Last year the vaccine makers had to throw away 12 million doses of flu vaccine that were never used, so this year they made less. The current vaccines being used in the United States use a combination of three strains of influenza that is carefully calculated each year by a team of experts. This year the mix does not precisely match the circulating strain of flu, called Fujian, that seems to be causing most of the infections. But a related strain called Panama is in the cocktail and should give at least partial protection, preventing the worst infections, the CDC says. Thompson said one of the best ways to protect against flu is to wash hands frequently. "Things like cleaning your hands frequently and covering our mouth when we cough or sneeze will help keep us healthy," he said.