Too few new flu vaccinations available this fall?

U.S. health officials announced on Thursday (June 22) that production problems will delay distribution and could lead to a flu vaccine shortage this fall. Two of the four manufacturers, Parkedale Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Rochester, Michigan) and Wyeth Laboratories Inc. (Marietta, Pennsylvania) were cited by the FDA's Center for Biologics for manufacturing problems. Parkedale was notified back on March 20 to cease production and distribution of flu vaccine until the problems were corrected. 

Production appears problematic because one of the strains in this year's vaccine is growing slower than anticipated under laboratory conditions. Reuters reports that Dr. Nancy Cox, chief of the influenza branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has stated "We've never had a situation that was quite this dramatic." Dr. Cox states that she is uncertain about "..the full extent of vaccine production for this year," with both the FDA and CDC attempting to identify likely on-hand quantities for later this year.