Kirk presses on swine flu vaccine
By Stephanie Vallejo, Globe correspondent
WASHINGTON -- Continuing his focus on swine flu, Senator Paul G. Kirk Jr. today questioned why it's taking so long to get the vaccine to states.
At a hearing of the Senate homeland security committee, the Massachusetts Democrat noted that there have been about 22 million cases of H1N1 nationwide and 3,900 deaths, including more than 1,500 confirmed cases in the Bay State since April.
State officials said last month that vaccine deliveries were running three weeks behind and that shortages were being reported.
"Many of us are seriously concerned that far more individuals will come down with the virus, and far more lives will be lost, before sufficient quantities of the vaccine arrive," Kirk said in his opening remarks. (His full prepared opening statement is below.)
UPDATE: During the questioning, Kirk highlighted the need to develop an independent analysis of swine flu vaccine production because manufacturers' reports of projected availability have fallen so short of the need in Massachusetts and nationwide.
"We had the promise of 3.5 million doses in Massachusetts by this time," said Kirk. "We have about a quarter of what is needed."
The larger question facing the administration and health professionals, Kirk said, is what should be done to encourage domestic drug manufacturing. “If four out of five suppliers are offshore … or in Canada, it’s no surprise they serve Canadians first,” he said.
Nicole Lurie, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, acknowledged the issue. “We have to get domestic, robust, fast drug manufacturing in the United States,” she said.
KIRK'S REMARKS
Chairman Lieberman, I commend you for calling this hearing today. The continuing delays in H1N1 vaccine production and distribution are generating significant fear among Americans, especially parents of young children, because these children are among the most vulnerable to the virus.
The number of persons in high-risk populations is as many as half of the nation’s people, and it far exceeds the 40 million doses that have been shipped to the states. Massachusetts has received fewer than 900,000 doses of the vaccine, and we’ve already had 1500 cases of H1N1, including 13 deaths. Many of us are seriously concerned that far more individuals will come down with the virus, and far more lives will be lost, before sufficient quantities of the vaccine arrive.
At the Committee’s hearing on the issue last month, it was made clear that our federal agencies are working in close coordination on the H1N1 response, which makes sense. But production delays have repeatedly prevented the government from meeting its targets for vaccine distribution, and that has been a major black eye for our response.
Obviously, it’s difficult to predict timelines for vaccine production and distribution, and there’s often a lag time in developing a new vaccine. But I hope there’s more we can do in the near term to increase production and give priority to those who are at the gravest risk, such as children and pregnant women with underlying respiratory conditions.
Over the longer term, we need to do more to reduce our reliance on these kinds of essential vaccine imports. It’s no surprise that the Canadians, for example, who are also combating the H1N1 outbreak, are reluctant to export their vaccines until their own population is served.
Hopefully, we can find ways to expedite vaccine development and production, but to do so will require the government to take another look at pandemic preparedness. That review should include whether investments are needed for surge capacity for vaccines for pandemic responses.
I look forward to our witnesses’ testimony, and, again, I commend the Chairman for holding this hearing.
About Political Intelligence
Glen Johnson is Politics Editor at boston.com and lead blogger for "Political Intelligence." He moved to Massachusetts in the fourth grade, and has covered local, state, and national politics for over 25 years. E-mail him at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen. |
