Tmy said:
The FLu shot is a scam. Its posion and it'll give ya alziemers adn all sorts of nerological aliements (so I here). We here about flu deaths, but they never say if thsoe killed HAD the shot or not.
Despite my conspiracy theories, I have a bigger problem with flu shot distribution. THe shot is made by two compaines who apparently have a bi-opoly on the stuff. My question is WHY DO WE RUN OUT OF FLU SHOTS EVERY GOD DAMN YEAR???? Hello????? I can get cocaine anytime I want, but the flu shot is nowhere to be found.
Watch, all of a sudden theyll "find" some more shots. Its a conspricy to drive up demand and profit for these drug compainies. Nothing sells better than fear.
In fact, we don't run out of flu shots every year. Last year, 12 million doses were thrown away because people didn't use them -- for all kinds of reasons: the flu wasn't that bad last year, people don't like innoculations, they'd rather let you get a shot than they getting a shot (safety of the herd), conspiracy theories about vaccination, etc.
What ever complaints you might have about drug companies, this isn't a good area. First, the reason there are only two companies making vaccine is because there is hardly any money in it at all (niether company relies on flu vaccines for any significant portion of their revenue). Also, many more companies used to make vaccine, but the liability is too great for most to keep up vaccine research, production and development.
As to this year's run, 83 million doses of vaccine were produced this year. There has never been more than 80 million doses ever used.
Next, you are supposed to get flu shots in October/November for them to be most effective. It is too late for much of the vaccine to be effective with most people. Most healthy children were not vaccinated this year because the Advisory Council on Immunization Practices (ACIP) – a government sponsored body comprised of public health professionals and academics from around the country – did not recommend vaccination for children until OCTOBER – after production runs were completed and vaccines distributed -- to be implemented in the 2004-2005 flu season.
Next, the companies don't really have much to do with determining what vaccine they are going to make. The World Health Organization every year in January projects which strains of flue it is worried about and determines what sort of vaccine is necessary. In the US, CDC and FDA develop the base vaccine based on WHO projections, and hand that vaccine off to manufacturers for production. They also tell the producers about how many doses to produce (within reason, and based upon last year's consumption pattern). The companys don't make a determination, they basically fullfil the government order.
Next, all of this is done by July. In other words, all the vaccine that was ordered was manufactured months ago. It isn't like the companies can go back and turn on the vaccine spigot and re-start production, there isn't time or resources.
Finally, it is critical to understand that WHO/FDA/CDC decide on the virus and the vaccine. In fact, they develop the vaccine, in the sense that the innital lab work is done at FDA and handed off to manufacturers.
This year, in particular, they had a significant problem with the vaccine cultures. They were long in developing, and the culture for the strain of flu that everyone is now worried about were particularly resistent to developing into vaccines.
In short, this is a problem of government, not drug companies. Every drug company of merit in the US used to make vaccines. They got out of the business and ceded the field to government, both by law and because liability and the nature of the marketplace.
To the extent that there is blame, it falls to FDA and CDC. But blame is difficult to assign when people avoid available vaccinations (back in OCtober and November) as well as other items like the changing nature of the strain or the resistence of the strain to vaccines...that is simply the nature of the influenza virus.
This part made me want to cry:
