Pandemic vaccine sales totaled $3.4 billion
Though some had predicted higher amounts, drug companies in 2009 sold almost $3.4 billion worth of H1N1 vaccine, according to a Kalorama Information report. Breakdown by company, in millions of US dollars and percent of market share was: GSK (1,190, 35), Novartis (950, 28), Sanofi (620, 18), Astra Zeneca (365, 11), CSL (160, 5), Baxter (50, 1.5), and other (50, 1.5). The report details the challenges of producing a new vaccine and says the methods used will serve as a model for future vaccines.
http://www.kaloramainformation.com/about/release.asp?id=1625
May 10 Kalorama news release
Hong Kong to lower flu alert level
Hong Kong officials announced yesterday that they will lower their flu response level from "emergency" to "alert" on May 24, pending any signals indicating otherwise that might arise from the World Health Organization's World Health Assembly next week. Officials said their decision is based on flu activity that has been declining since late September and has remained low, even during the area's winter flu season. It also said it has detected no change in clinical severity.
California promotes vaccine ahead of summer travel
California's health department has renewed its push for pandemic flu vaccination, advising the public that flu outbreaks in the Southern Hemisphere over the summer months combined with summer travel spread globally, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. Officials said they hope to use up some of the state's 4 million-dose vaccine surplus before some of it expires in June.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_15066492
May 11 Daily News story
Flu outbreak temporarily curbed blood donations
Confirmation of the first pandemic flu cases in a community reduced blood donations 21%, with whole-blood donations dropping by 1,329 units, Japanese researchers reported in Transfusion. They examined blood donation patterns 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after novel H1N1 was detected in Kobe. Bloodmobile donations saw the most dramatic drop, 39%. Within 1 week, however, donations returned to normal, propelled by e-mails requests and new bloodmobile drives.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123411150/abstract
May 3 Transfusion abstract
Clinical definition, immunofluorescence not sensitive
Clinical and microbiological examination of 444 Australian children who were seen for flu-like symptoms at the start of the country's pandemic outbreak showed that 119 had the pandemic virus, with direct immunofluorescence identifying only 69. The findings appear in Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. Clinical symptoms didn't vary much between kids that had the pandemic virus and those with other illnesses, except younger children with flu were more likely to have headaches and myalgia.
http://journals.lww.com/pidj/Abstract/publishahead/Clinical_and_Microbiologic_Features_Associated.99296.aspx
May 7 Ped Infect Dis J abstract
