Not the best way to win "hearts and minds"

Daily Times, January 4, 2005
US gifts expired vaccine to Pakistani quake survivors
By Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: Flu vaccine declared un-useable (because its expiry date elapsed in August 2005) by US authorities has been sent for use in the earthquake-affected areas of Kashmir at the request of the Pakistani government.

Earlier, when the expired vaccine was offered to South Africa, its government refused to permit its import because it considered the vaccine unsafe for humans.

A quarter-million doses of the flu vaccine that expired in August last year were bought overseas by the state of Illinois, but couldn’t be imported because of the adverse finding by a federal agency. The vaccine has since been donated for earthquake victims in Pakistan, according to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The 256,000 doses were purchased last year from British wholesaler Ecosse Hospital Products Ltd amid a predicted US vaccine shortage, but the US Food and Drug Administration barred the vaccine’s import to Illinois, saying it couldn’t guarantee its safety.

The governor’s aide, Abby Ottenhoff, however, claimed that the vaccine is still effective. “In this case, we had the vaccine tested. It was found to still be potent for the 2004-2005 flu strain.”

According to a report published by Chicago Tribune on Monday, “State officials are still fighting over whether Illinois taxpayers should have to foot the bill for flu vaccine they never received. The state’s court of claims is considering a request from the wholesaler to be paid for the vaccine that (Governor) Blagojevich procured more than a year ago. While that battle continues, the vaccine is available in Kashmir that was the epicentre of an October earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 that killed more than 87,000 people and left millions homeless. ‘We are in a unique position to help thousands of Pakistanis who are struggling to recover from a terrible tragedy,’ Blagojevich said in a written statement. ‘The vaccine we scoured Europe to find in 2004 will be put to use to protect people who were left homeless, weak and vulnerable after the devastating earthquake and now are in dire need of protection from influenza this winter.’”

The Chicago Tribune report said that for months, the governor’s staff had been searching for a place to donate the vaccine, which Blagojevich ordered in 2004 when it looked as though there would be a shortage in Illinois. The US Food and Drug Administration refused to approve it for import, and the vaccine expired over the summer. State health officials tried in August to donate the doses for use in South Africa, but the vaccine was not approved for import by that country because the expiration date printed on the packages had passed.

Ira Longini, an Emory University bio-statistician, has said that the vaccine could be effective after its expiration date, as long as it’s stored properly. However, it could lose its potency, she added. It remains unclear who will pay for the vaccine, since Ecosse, the British manufacturer, never received the $2.5 million it was owed because the state of Illinois never received the vaccine because of the federal ban.
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The Chicago Tribune's news item titled: "Illinois gives flu vaccine to Pakistan" by Christi Parsons can be read at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-0601020221jan02,1,6668443.story?ctrack=1&cset=true