10 Million Flu Shots Will Be Destroyed

It's nearing the end of flu season so despite the huge loss of money, millions of flu shots will be destroyed.

Each year a new flu shot is made to best fight the likely strains of flu going around. But no matter how well they may work (or not) they have an expiration date and only last one season.

That date has been set by the FDA for midnight of June 30^th this year. An excess amount of as much as 10 million doses of the influenza vaccine will be dumped, carefully of course.

As much as many doctors and of course pharmaceutical companies would prefer to be allowed to keep unused doses of the flu shot, it's not been approved just yet.

Many people would like to see them donated to other countries, or kept to give during the summer months.

Or even better for several parties involved, expand the expiration date for more than one year.

Young children are recommended to receive two doses and often times they receive the first one too late in the season to come back for the second.

Manufacturers reportedly shipped out 102 million doses of the current influenza vaccine this year, with an estimated 10 million left over.

Even with supposed flu shot shortages that occurred, there are extra vials after what the CDC claims was a mild flu season.

Keeping old flu shots would be a pain for several reasons. Many people are wary enough of being injected with this vaccine so it would be an even harder sale to market last years vials.

Maybe they'd have to be offered half price, somewhat of a bargain so to speak.

In the 2002-2003 flu season Wyeth pharmaceutical company lost too much money tossing unused flu shots that they stopped manufacturing them.

They lost an estimated $35 million dollars as a result of expired vaccines.

The following year was the highly publicized "flu shortage" season of 2004.

Scientist claim that flu shots could potentially have a shelf life of 3-4 years but the fact remains that season 3 new strains are generally targeted in an effort to produce the most effective vaccine.

Truthfully, the strains only vary slightly and it's likely that only one or two is different each season so if the flu shot does truly work in helping prevent influenza you'd think the expired vials would work close to as well.

For those who believe in the importance of an annual flu shot as a precautionary, would they consider offering their arm up for last year's dose?

Sources:

AP "10 million doses of flu shot to be thrown away" MSNBC.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17708169/wid/11915773/

Marilyn Marchione and Mike Stobbe "Millions of Flu shots to be destroyed" Newsday.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17708169/wid/11915773/