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March 03, 2003

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Variation in Public and Private Supply of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine During a Shortage" Journal of the American Medical Association (www.jama.com) (02/05/03) Vol. 289, No. 5, P. 575; Freed, Gary L.; Davis, Matthew M.; Clark, Sarah J.

A 2000 government recommendation for universal inoculation of all children under two years of age with the heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine(PCV7) resulted in a shortage of the product a year later.  The government suggested an option of prioritizing administration to children who had only received one dose or no doses.  Vaccines are either obtained publicly for use through the Vaccines for Children program or privately for children with health insurance.  A recent study looked at the shortage in 12 states and at the differences between public and private supplies.  Obtaining a consistent supply of PCV7 from private sources was problematic for 80 percent of the practices studied, while 70 percent reported a similar situation in regards to public sources.  Although the degrees and lengths of shortages varied amount states, 10 of the 12 states had more problems with private sources.  Practice alterations, such as prioritizing the first and second doses of PCV7 and limiting inoculation to at-risk children, were utilized by 23 percent of doctors because of private shortages and 27 percent of doctors involved with public supplies.  Reasons for the shortages included unexpectedly high demand, production difficulties, and the lengthy Food and Drug Administration approval process for each vaccine lot.

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