July 31 (Bloomberg) — A U.S. plan to rely on swine flu vaccines without ingredients to boost effectiveness would reduce the global supply just when other countries need it most, according to an editorial by the British journal Lancet.
The ingredients, called adjuvants, have never been approved for flu vaccines in the U.S. and are controversial because some studies show they cause immune disorders in mice. The World Health Organization recommended on July 7 that adjuvants be used to pump up the global vaccine supply, and the Lancet criticized the U.S. for plans to rely exclusively on standard formulations.
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department declared a public health emergency over swine flu in April, and the Food and Drug Administration has the power to allow the use of unapproved medical products including adjuvants. The health department agreed to purchase more than $415 million of the vaccine additives, while saying it may not use them if enough shots are available for U.S. residents.
“The USA must support the use of dose-sparing strategies to avoid depletion of an already short vaccine supply,” said the authors of the Lancet’s editorial. “All countries will require the vaccine, but current manufacturing capacity will not be able to meet this demand.”
via Pandemic Information News: Flu Vaccine Plan in U.S. May Shortchange Nations, Lancet Says.