Canada to Order 50.4 Million Doses of New H1N1 Vaccine

On Thursday, the Canadian Health Minster, Leona Aglukkaq announced that the Canadian government would order 50.4 million doses of the new swine flu vaccine.

"This investment reflects the unique circumstances of the situation as well as the gravity," said Health Minster Aglukkaq of Canada's investment in the vaccine. Canada’s pandemic plan estimates that approximately 75 per cent of Canadians will either need or want to be vaccinated against H1N1 virus. The total cost of the order will be well over $400 million, said Dr. David Butler-Jones, chief public health officer of Canada. The Canadian government will cover 60 per cent of the cost of the new vaccine. Dr. Butler-Jones, said that the numbers of doses that are being ordered are enough for all Canadians who want and need to be vaccinated. The $400 million contract has been awarded to pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline to produce the vaccine at their plant in Quebec City. The pharmaceutical company uses an additive known as adjuvant. This additive is used to boost immune response from vaccines. Dr. Allison McGeer, an infectious disease specialist in Toronto, said the vaccine could also be offered without containing the adjuvant. Dr. Butler-Jones said that the vaccine would begin clinical trials in late September of this year. People could begin to receive the shots in November, if not sooner, said Butler-Jones. He also stated that the risks of swine flu far outweigh any theoretical risks of the adjuvanted vaccine, including for groups such as pregnant women and children. "We will be monitoring it closely when it comes on to the market, and if there are any concerns, they'll be addressed," he said in an interview. Yesterday, Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO director of the Initiative for Vaccine Research, told reporters at a news conference held in Geneva, that the WHO expects to see reports of side effects once millions of people have received the vaccine, but that deadly side effects will be rare. Kieny also stated the pandemic vaccine was based on proven technology, and much is known about seasonal flu vaccines that would also apply to H1N1. Smaller batches of the new vaccine have already been created, and clinical trials are already underway in Australia, China, the United States, Germany and Britain.