Some flu shots out of stock, but more arriving soon – Dzulkefly
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said there was no cause for worry over the shortage of certain flu vaccines, explaining that alternatives were available and resupplies were set to arrive next month.
According to The Star, the minister also said pharmaceutical firms were also adjusting future orders to mitigate.
“There was a high uptake globally. They informed me that they have run out of stock, but it will be restocked in early March,” he was quoted as saying.
“They are, however, planning to switch to trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines (TIV) come September this year,”
As the name implies, TIV protect against three influenza strains, typically H1N1 and H3N2 from the influenza A family, and one strain of influenza B. Vaccines now in use locally are quadrivalent, offering protection against four strains.
Increased awareness following the Covid-19 pandemic has led to higher global demand for flu vaccines, which has been compounded by manufacturing delays and global supply chain disruptions as well as outbreaks of bird flu globally.
Dzulkefly explained that Malaysia currently relies on two main flu vaccine brands, Vaxigrip Tetra (Sanofi) and Influvac Tetra (Abbott), both supplied under government contracts.
Of the two, there is a shortage of Vaxigrip Tetra, with Dzulkely saying Sanofi is attempting to source additional stock from Thailand and France.
“Fluarix Tetra (GSK) is no longer marketed, and SKYCellflu (Pharmaniaga Marketing, SK Bioscience Korea) has no stock in the country,” he said.
Authorities are closely monitoring the situation, with the Pharmacy Services Programme and the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency working with manufacturers to ensure continued supply.
Source: Malay Mail
Category: MJN enews
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