August 2001 • Volume 7 • Number 8
Flu vaccine may carry sticker shock; doctors advised to prioritize by risk
BY TONI LAPP
Flu vaccine manufacturers are offering a good news/bad news scenario for the 2001-2002 flu season. The good news is that there should be a larger supply than last year. The bad news is that vaccine costs are going up anywhere from 22 percent to 67 percent over last year, and shipments could be delayed.
At least one manufacturer -- Aventis Pharma -- is making an effort to ensure that customers receive at least part of their order early on for high-risk patients. Aventis is splitting orders so that all customers receive at least 25 percent of the order in September, a move recommended by the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Len Lavenda, spokesman for Aventis, says the list price for its vaccine is increasing to $5 per dose, up from a range of $2.80 to $4.20 last year. Lavenda cites several reasons for the increase: Improvements were made to Aventis' production facility to improve safety, Aventis has expanded its capacity to increase production, and the cost of shipping has increased as a result of the decision to split orders.
Wyeth Lederle is increasing the cost of its vaccine from $4.25 to $5.29 per dose, a 24 percent increase, says spokeswoman Natalie deVane. The company expects to have 60 percent of its doses shipped by November, deVane says.
Even though the delays this year are not expected to be as extensive as last year, physicians are advised to prioritize patients by risk.
"This has been a challenging issue for family physicians who had come to expect that they would have the vaccine their patients -- especially their high-risk patients -- needed," says Herbert Young, M.D., M.A., director of AAFP's Scientific Activities Division. The Academy has been working with the CDC to encourage changes -- such as urging that mass immunization programs be done in November rather than earlier, says Young.
The July 13 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report carries updated vaccination recommendations from the ACIP. Go to http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5027a3.htm to access the recommendations online. The Academy is now updating its risk prioritization policy for the 2001-2002 flu season. Those recommendations should become available in the coming weeks. Visit http://www.aafp.org/policy/camp/27.html for the current policy statement.
FP Report is published by the AAFP News Department.
Copyright © 2001 by American Academy of Family Physicians.
FP Report | Headlines |AAFP Home | Search