SENATORS REED & COLLINS PROPOSE IMMEDIATE ACTION FOR BEST USE OF AVAILABLE FLU VACCINES

Washington, DC – Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) are encouraging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take immediate action to make the best use of the available supply of flu vaccines and to increase the country's inventory of the vaccine.

In a letter addressed to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, Senators Reed and Collins stressed the importance of distributing the available vaccines to high risk populations. "Now that a shortage is evident, the 33 million doses of vaccine already distributed should be targeted, as much as possible, to high risk populations," said the Senators in a joint statement. "We also urge the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) to consider each state's unique needs in allocating new shipments of vaccine. A one size fits all policy of allocating states only about half their original order will not provide adequate vaccine to meet the needs of those specified under the CDC Interim Vaccine Recommendations."

Senators Reed and Collins proposed the creation of a CDC "clearinghouse" to allow providers to quickly and effectively report their needs for the vaccine or their excess inventory. Providers currently report their vaccine needs to county health departments, which are non-existent in some areas. In addition, many local departments are only able to reallocate resources within their state, which may be facing a statewide vaccination shortage. Senators Reed and Collins said, "A clearinghouse system would facilitate the timely matching of supplies originally intended for lower risk individuals with those with critical needs."

The Senators also pointed out that clinical studies have reported that a flu vaccination using as little as 1/10 of the usual dose is still effective to immunize a healthy person against the flu. Since the use of a reduced dose would substantially mitigate the shortage of a vaccine, Senators Reed and Collins requested information on any additional studies on the effectiveness of reduced dose immunization in high risk populations and that Secretary Thompson consider expedited approval of a reduced dose immunization protocol. They also said the government must do more to encourage producers to supply the vaccine, including expediting Food and Drug Administration approval of additional foreign manufacturers.

"There are obviously many factors that will affect this flu season – such as the strain of the influenza virus we encounter this year, how effective the vaccine protects against it, and how well we practice sound public health measures to prevent its spread," said Senators Reed and Collins. "We must not end this year regretting we have not used our vaccine prudently – too many lives are at stake."