Canadians will wait for vaccinations against pandemic H1N1 influenza even as bulk vaccine shipments are exported to other countries because GlaxoSmithKline can produce more vaccine at its Quebec plant than it can put into vials.
U.S. health officials recognized this week that a similar problem would slow the rollout of the vaccine to Americans and began hunting for factories that can get more of the liquid into vials quicker.
But, despite the limited capacity of its fill line in Ste-Foy, Que., the pharmaceutical company with the sole contract to produce pandemic flu vaccine for Canadians is not looking for help to package the drug for domestic distribution.
When asked repeatedly whether another Canadian pharmaceutical manufacturer would be approached to provide assistance, GSK would state only that it is living up to its agreement with Canada.
"GSK is meeting all of its contractual obligations to the Canadian government as it relates to H1N1 - and we are well on target to meet these commitments," Marie-Christine Beauchemin, a spokeswoman for the drug maker, said in an e-mail when asked whether other companies would be asked to participate in the fill process.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said Tuesday that it would take some time to get all Canadians vaccinated regardless of how quickly GSK was able to deliver the vaccine.
And an agency spokesman said that the drug company looked at the possibility of getting another manufacturer to help fill the vials, but it was decided that doing so could have an impact on the delivery of other essential vaccines.
Canada has ordered 50 million doses from GSK, a long-standing contract that requires delivery "as quickly as possible," a company official said.
GSK has also allocated 20 per cent of the vaccine produced at its Canadian manufacturing site to developing countries. That includes a proposed donation of 50 million doses to the World Health Organization.
But the company refuses to explain where the bulk shipments from the Ste-Foy plant will go.
"Announcements about vaccine supply for individual countries/organizations are under the discretion of the country/organization to make public. GSK will not disclose contractual information on behalf of these bodies," a spokeswoman said this week in an e-mail.
Northern Hemisphere countries have so far ordered more than one billion doses from several drug companies, the World Health Organization said yesterday.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has long predicted it would have 120 million doses on hand by Oct. 15, but now expects just 45 million by that date because of the packaging delays.
In Canada, the Ste-Foy facility will begin producing vaccine in November, or possibly late October, and it will be Christmas before every Canadian who wants a shot can get one.
It takes two weeks for the vaccine to be considered fully effective. And many people will require more than one shot. Which means it will be February or even March before the vaccine is protecting all of the Canadians who are inoculated. That is well after the traditional flu season begins in December.
Drug makers around the world have said the strain is producing about 30 per cent of the yield of the normal flu virus. Even if that is the case, GSK says it can make more than enough to meet the Canadian demand.
John Treanor, a vaccine expert at the University of Rochester in New York, said even November could be too late for the vaccinations to start.
"It depends on when the swine flu comes back - and that is extremely unpredictable," Dr. Treanor said.
It could return with the regular flu season in December. Or it could reappear in September, he said.
"The experience in the U.S. last summer, or early spring, seemed to be that a lot of the flu activity at least started in schools and it went away when school was over. So, if you follow that logic, you might be concerned that the next wave of this would start up when kids go back to school very shortly," Dr. Treanor said.
"And that makes the vaccine delay a little bit more important because it would mean, at least in the beginning, your first response to any upsurge in activity will not include the vaccine because it would not be available."
With reports from AFP and AP