European Centre for Disease Prevention modest recommendation for flu shots

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control continues to advise that only older adults and people with pre-existing conditions get the flu shot.

Unlike the US CDC which recommends blanket immunization of the population, the Europeans take a much more measured approach.

There are various reasons for this, but the most likely reason is that there is not as much pressure from the pharmaceutical industry or they are better able to resist the pressure compared with the US regulators.


http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/seasonal_influenza/basic_facts/Pages/factsheet_general_public.aspx

UK Department of Health forced to disclose Swine Flu spending

The BBC’s Martin Rosenbaum reports that the UK Department of Health (DOH) spent £ 239 million (approx. US $ 382 million) on the swine flu vaccine last year.

The Department of Health initially resisted requests for the information with flimsy claims of commercial confidentiality. As we now know, the swine flu “pandemic” was vastly over hyped, and much of the swine flu vaccine had to be discarded (at taxpayer’s expense).

Rosenbaum reports that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) received the lion share of the bounty for its Pandemrix vaccine, with the rest going to Baxter Int’l (BAX) for Celvapan.

Still, it wasn’t easy getting the information. At first DOH refused to respond to a freedom of information request. BBC then had to appeal to the information commissioner. As Rosenbaum points out, this “case illustrates the limits of commercial confidentiality under FOI. It shows how claims sometimes made by public authorities about possible damage to commercial interests are not necessarily strong enough grounds for refusing freedom of information requests.“

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/opensecrets/2011/02/bbc_forces_disclosure_of_swine.html

Reuters reports development of intravenous flu treatment

GlaxoSmithKline begins a phase III study of its new intravenous flu treatment ("zanamivir") that they hope will compete with competitor pill, Tamiflu.

This is intended to treat the sickest patients, who may not have responded to other treatments.

The pharmaceutical giant is hoping to take market share away from rival Roche.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70I1RU20110119