GlaxoSmithKline Calls for Suspension of New Flu Vaccinations in Canada
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23_(Kyodo) _ British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline
Plc. is suspending the use of 170,000 doses of its new H1N1
influenza vaccine in Canada given a higher-than-usual rate of
reported side effects, Canadian media reported Monday.
Japan's Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, which has a contract
with the pharmaceutical firm to buy two-shot doses for 37 million
people, will send a fact-finding mission to Canada by early
December, health minister Akira Nagatsuma said in Tokyo.
Six cases of anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction causing breathing
difficulties and reduced blood pressure, were reported after
vaccinations in the Canadian province of Manitoba, but in all cases
those inoculated recovered after a short time, according to the
reports.
There are usually one or two reported cases of such side effects
for every 170,000 doses, so the company has decided to examine the
170,000 doses with specific serial numbers, they said.
The Japanese health ministry was informed of the development by the
company's Japanese unit, GlaxoSmithKline K.K., and is gathering
information to determine if the problem is related to specific
batches or the vaccine as a whole, ministry officials said.
With domestically produced new-flu vaccine in short supply, the
ministry has said it will take the special step of allowing
imported vaccines without formal clinical trials in December and
will start vaccinating elderly people with no health problems in
January.
Posted: November 2009
