Vaccines: Made in America

Dallas Morning News | Editorials:

"If avian flu were to pass into the general population now, the United States, like the rest of the world, would be unready. Experts predict millions could die. Few vaccine production facilities operate in the United States; most of the vaccine Americans could access is made outside the country."

Other countries guarantee a market for vaccines by offering free flu shots to their populations. In the US, flu shot demand rises and falls with outbreaks of flu, which provides too little time for manufacturers to react. This isn't new with recent stories of avian flu. Last year's flu vaccine shortage was a wake-up call that our government slept through. It took the public's angry response to the debacle of FEMA's handling of Hurricane Katrina to get our government's attention focused on other possible disasters like pandemics.

And when their attention was obtained, what do they do? They craft legislation (The Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act) designed more to protect the drug industry than to solve the root cause of the shortages -- unpredictable demand. The legislation calls for exclusivity contracts, liability protection, and antitrust exemptions. The legislation does not call for stockpiling of drugs, assuring market demand, or compensation for defective products.

This legislation is deficient. It is aimed more at rewarding drug company special interests than in safeguarding the health of Americans. Congress should be urged to go back and craft a complete strategy for dealing with this potentially disastrous threat.