La Grippe of the Trial Lawyers: Guess who's to blame for the flu vaccine fiasco.

The Weekly Standard ^ | October 25, 2004 | William Tucker

[quidnunc]

John Kerry wasted no time jumping on President George Bush about the unexpected shortage in flu vaccines this year. Why wasn't Bush paying attention? He should have done things differently. And of course Kerry had a "plan" to solve the whole mess.

If Kerry thinks he can solve the flu vaccine problem, he need look no further than his own running mate, trial lawyer John Edwards. Vaccines are the one area of medicine where trial lawyers are almost completely responsible for the problem. No one can plausibly point a finger at insurance companies, drug companies, or doctors. Lawyers have won the vaccine game so completely that nobody wants to play.

Two weeks ago, British regulators suspended the license of Chiron Corp., the world's second-leading flu vaccine supplier, for three months. Officials cited manufacturing problems at the factory in Liverpool, England, where Chiron makes its leading product, Fluvirin. Chiron was scheduled to supply 46 million of the 100 million doses to be administered in the United States this year. The other 54 million will come from Aventis Pasteur, a French company with headquarters in Strasbourg.

So why is it that 100 percent of our flu vaccines are now made by two companies in Europe? The answer is simple. Trial lawyers drove the American manufacturers out of the business.

-snip-

[Ciexyz]

I didn't know this fact. Edwards and his ilk are responsible for much suffering in this country.

By the way, I already got my flu shot. My doctor offered it to me at the end of September, before this "problem" broke. Otherwise I would have been denied the right to get a flu shot, due to the severe restrictions on eligibility that have since been imposed.

[JSteff]

"unless the US govt mandates that drug companies sell to them at a low fixed price, or not at all."

I believe that is what happened... they had to sell ONLY to the government at the price fixed by the government.

I would not find that unbelievable because if I recall correctly part of Hillary care was no one could go selectively to doctors not participating in Hillary care (ie; for something that might have required a specialist) because all doctors had to participate if they wanted any cut of the medicare pie.

[Ciexyz]

The article is well worth reading.

[deadmenvote]

This article should be posted at the few places still giving out the vaccine. The local news stations have been showing hundreds of seniors standing in line for hours to get the shot. When interviewed, they all blame the government [BUSH] for this mess.

[Mamzelle]

In medical literature, almost every year there is some article some where fretting over the "big bug" that many think is overdue, the kind that can be a big killer.

We are now a much more widely travelled public than we used to be, and we travel much more often overseas. Add to that massive uncontrolled immigration--and a sudden lack of flu vaccine.

At least, make sure every nurse is vaccinated.

[I still care]

You DO remember the blue guy, right?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/americas/2297471.stm