Made-in-Canada H1N1 vaccine for pregnant women not yet approved for use: King
Published Monday November 9th, 2009
TORONTO - The made-in - Canada swine flu vaccine that's intended for pregnant women won't be going into arms any time soon because Ottawa hasn't approved it yet, Ontario health officials said Monday.
Pregnant women can still get the Australian-made H1N1 shot that doesn't contain an adjuvant, an immune-boosting additive, said Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health.
"The 86,800 (doses) that we got last week is being used right now in pregnant women as we speak," she said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
But the 1.8 million doses ordered from GlaxoSmithKline and manufactured in Quebec is "embargoed for use until Health Canada approves it," she added.
The 375,000 doses of the not-yet-approved vaccine are part of a shipment Ontario was expecting Monday from the federal government to replenish its dwindling supplies.
It also includes 395,000 doses of the adjuvanted vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline, which was approved for use in late October. Pregnant women can take the adjuvanted vaccine if they wish, according to health officials.
Both vaccines will be repackaged Tuesday and shipped to the province's public health units on Wednesday, said ministry spokesman David Jensen.
A federal government source said that approval of the unadjuvanted vaccine is expected Tuesday or Wednesday, but King said she's expecting it late this week.
"The supply that we're going to be having this week is going to be quite limited," King said.
"That being said, we will over the course of the week, be deciding to whom we will be able to offer the product we have right now and that we're expecting this week and next."
Both vaccines are currently being offered only to six high-priority groups: health-care workers, pregnant women, children between six months and five years of age, people who care for infants and other people who can't get the vaccine, people under the age of 65 with chronic conditions and those living in remote communities.
Ontario has been working with a limited supply of the vaccine and provincial health officials have been anxious for more doses to be delivered, warning that Ontario may soon run out of the regular vaccine.
Last week, tempers flared when several pro athletes were accused of jumping the queue - recriminations that soon spread to hospital officials who were supposed to enforce the rules.
Board members at several Toronto hospitals were offered the H1N1 vaccine by officials who considered them health-care workers and essential to the efficient operation at a time of crisis.
Both King and Health Minister Deb Matthews have said that board members aren't health-care workers and shouldn't get the shot unless they fall into one of the other five priority groups. Ontario has seen 41 swine flu-related deaths since April, up from 37 on Friday, King said. Hospitalizations have also increased to 164 from 136 on Friday. Sixty-five of those people are in intensive care, she said.
Officials note that the season flu usually results in about 300 deaths and thousands of hospitalizations each year in Ontario.
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