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CNN Live Sunday

United States Has Critical Flu Vaccine

Aired December 21, 2003 - 18:35   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We have a flu epidemic, and there isn't enough vaccine out there. We were talking with a doctor from Vanderbilt University. She is Kathy Edwards, who is a professor of pediatrics there at Vanderbilt, about this shortage - a critical shortage, indeed.
Dr. Edwards, thank you very much for sticking through the news conference there in New York.

KATHY EDWARDS, PROFESSOR OF PEDIATRICS, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: You're very welcome.

LIN: Now, we talked about that there is, in fact, a shortage in the flu vaccine. But there are shortages in other vaccines for childhood diseases as well. Which ones, and what exactly is the problem?

EDWARDS: Well, I think that the flu shortage has been a very interesting lesson, because when people see ill individuals on TV, or when they hear about their neighbors being sick, they all want to prevent disease and not to treat it, so there has been a real run on the vaccine.

Vaccines are given to people to keep them healthy. And so sometimes when vaccines work very well and when diseases are gone, we no longer appreciate how important vaccines are.

We also know that the number of companies that make vaccines has precipitously declined over the last few years.

LIN: Yes, I was shocked to learn that only two drug companies actually manufacture the flu vaccine.

EDWARDS: Absolutely. And certainly, if one runs into trouble making the vaccine, then that leaves only one. So the number of people that make vaccines is a real problem.

The other thing is that the vaccines have to be made, the viruses have to be grown and they have to be grown in chicken eggs. So in many ways, we may be a little bit of a hostage to some hens and some chickens.

LIN: So, what's the solution then? Stockpiling?

EDWARDS: I think stockpiling is certainly a solution. Also to make enough quantities of vaccine so that everyone that wants to be vaccinated can be. If a pharmaceutical company makes too much vaccine, that the government might pay them for the extra vaccine that is products.

And also for us to understand that really, prevention is a wonderful way, and certainly much better than treating.

So I think it's important that we pay attention to our shortages and work to keep them, to stockpile and to make sure that there's money available for vaccines.

LIN: But there are some vaccines which can't be stockpiled, for example, the flu vaccine.

EDWARDS: That's correct. It's very seasonal, and certainly, we have a limited amount of time to make it. So there are certain vaccines that are very seasonal, like flue. You're exactly right.

LIN: Seasonal in the sense that they have to - it's really a guessing game as to which viruses might strike ...

EDWARDS: Absolutely.

LIN: ... in any given season. So it's like a recipe that they've got to guess in order to put, you know, which sort of antibodies they need to put inside the vaccine.

EDWARDS: That's correct. It's hard to know exactly what flu vaccine strain will be coming. And we can't always look into our crystal ball and have the right answer.

LIN: All right. Well, what about incentives for drug companies to manufacture more?

EDWARDS: Certainly tax incentives, certainly ability to make sure that there is a reward, or that they make compensation on what they do is certainly important, as well.

And vaccines are given much less frequently than pharmaceuticals. So we understand that for an antibiotic you might have 10 days, but for a vaccine, you might get it once in your life.

LIN: So what are you supposed to do if you're a parent and you take your child to the doctor, and he or she cannot get vaccinated for the mumps or for rubella?

EDWARDS: I think what you need to do is certainly make sure that as soon as that vaccine is available, that you go back immediately to get the vaccine that you weren't able to take, to also talk with the doctor and see whether there's other places you could get the vaccine. And ...

LIN: I mean, do you envision a world in which parents are going to have to get competitive about getting vaccines at their doctor's office?

EDWARDS: No, I certainly don't envision that. I think that would be very unfortunate. I think we in academia, in manufacturing and in government really need to make sure that the vaccines are available for all the world's children that need them.

And because, certainly, prevention is much, much better than treatment.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much, ...

EDWARDS: Thank you.

LIN: ... Dr. Kathy Edwards. At least you've taken the edge off of the bad news of the shortage. Thank you.

EDWARDS: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired December 21, 2003 - 18:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We have a flu epidemic, and there isn't enough vaccine out there. We were talking with a doctor from Vanderbilt University. She is Kathy Edwards, who is a professor of pediatrics there at Vanderbilt, about this shortage - a critical shortage, indeed.
Dr. Edwards, thank you very much for sticking through the news conference there in New York.

KATHY EDWARDS, PROFESSOR OF PEDIATRICS, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: You're very welcome.

LIN: Now, we talked about that there is, in fact, a shortage in the flu vaccine. But there are shortages in other vaccines for childhood diseases as well. Which ones, and what exactly is the problem?

EDWARDS: Well, I think that the flu shortage has been a very interesting lesson, because when people see ill individuals on TV, or when they hear about their neighbors being sick, they all want to prevent disease and not to treat it, so there has been a real run on the vaccine.

Vaccines are given to people to keep them healthy. And so sometimes when vaccines work very well and when diseases are gone, we no longer appreciate how important vaccines are.

We also know that the number of companies that make vaccines has precipitously declined over the last few years.

LIN: Yes, I was shocked to learn that only two drug companies actually manufacture the flu vaccine.

EDWARDS: Absolutely. And certainly, if one runs into trouble making the vaccine, then that leaves only one. So the number of people that make vaccines is a real problem.

The other thing is that the vaccines have to be made, the viruses have to be grown and they have to be grown in chicken eggs. So in many ways, we may be a little bit of a hostage to some hens and some chickens.

LIN: So, what's the solution then? Stockpiling?

EDWARDS: I think stockpiling is certainly a solution. Also to make enough quantities of vaccine so that everyone that wants to be vaccinated can be. If a pharmaceutical company makes too much vaccine, that the government might pay them for the extra vaccine that is products.

And also for us to understand that really, prevention is a wonderful way, and certainly much better than treating.

So I think it's important that we pay attention to our shortages and work to keep them, to stockpile and to make sure that there's money available for vaccines.

LIN: But there are some vaccines which can't be stockpiled, for example, the flu vaccine.

EDWARDS: That's correct. It's very seasonal, and certainly, we have a limited amount of time to make it. So there are certain vaccines that are very seasonal, like flue. You're exactly right.

LIN: Seasonal in the sense that they have to - it's really a guessing game as to which viruses might strike ...

EDWARDS: Absolutely.

LIN: ... in any given season. So it's like a recipe that they've got to guess in order to put, you know, which sort of antibodies they need to put inside the vaccine.

EDWARDS: That's correct. It's hard to know exactly what flu vaccine strain will be coming. And we can't always look into our crystal ball and have the right answer.

LIN: All right. Well, what about incentives for drug companies to manufacture more?

EDWARDS: Certainly tax incentives, certainly ability to make sure that there is a reward, or that they make compensation on what they do is certainly important, as well.

And vaccines are given much less frequently than pharmaceuticals. So we understand that for an antibiotic you might have 10 days, but for a vaccine, you might get it once in your life.

LIN: So what are you supposed to do if you're a parent and you take your child to the doctor, and he or she cannot get vaccinated for the mumps or for rubella?

EDWARDS: I think what you need to do is certainly make sure that as soon as that vaccine is available, that you go back immediately to get the vaccine that you weren't able to take, to also talk with the doctor and see whether there's other places you could get the vaccine. And ...

LIN: I mean, do you envision a world in which parents are going to have to get competitive about getting vaccines at their doctor's office?

EDWARDS: No, I certainly don't envision that. I think that would be very unfortunate. I think we in academia, in manufacturing and in government really need to make sure that the vaccines are available for all the world's children that need them.

And because, certainly, prevention is much, much better than treatment.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much, ...

EDWARDS: Thank you.

LIN: ... Dr. Kathy Edwards. At least you've taken the edge off of the bad news of the shortage. Thank you.

EDWARDS: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com