Saturday, May 9, 2009

Decision on Flu Vaccine Looms

Decision on Flu Vaccine Looms
Steering Resources to Fight New Strain Raises Public-Health, Financial Questions

By CAM SIMPSON
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is weeks away from a critical decision on whether to trigger mass production of swine-flu vaccine, which could affect the bottom lines of big vaccine makers as well as public health.

Besides determining whether a vaccine would be effective and safe, government officials and private laboratories will need to answer practical and financial questions: Does it make sense to order hundreds of millions of doses and organize a mass vaccination campaign for a virus that, so far, isn't widespread and doesn't seem particularly lethal?

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