Medicine

13 November 2009 -- As of 8 November 2009, worldwide more than 206 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 6250 deaths.

As many countries have stopped counting individual cases, particularly of milder illness, the case count is likely to be significantly lower than the actual number of cases that have occurred. WHO is actively monitoring the progress of the pandemic through frequent consultations with the WHO Regional Offices and member states and through monitoring of multiple sources of data.

Situation update:    » read more »

Announces Counties Are Conducting Vaccination Clinics As More H1N1 Vaccine Becomes Available

November 13, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced that county health departments across New York are mobilizing to conduct H1N1 flu vaccination clinics as more vaccine becomes available in the State.

“Due to delays in manufacturing the H1N1 vaccine, our statewide vaccination campaign has not been mobilized as rapidly as we had hoped,” Governor Paterson said. “As we move into the middle of November, more H1N1 vaccine is becoming available, and health care providers are receiving more shipments. Some county health departments have already held vaccination clinics, and others are gearing up to hold them in the next two weeks.”    » read more »

ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 13, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley issued the second in a series of online H1N1 (Swine) Flu web updates on H1N1 (Swine) Flu today, including a status update on the spread of the disease and an update on the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines. To date, state officials have ordered 100% of the H1N1 vaccinations available to Maryland distributors, more than 750,000 doses.    » read more »

November 14, 2009 -- AUGUSTA – Two more deaths have been reported linked to H1N1 influenza in Maine, bringing the total to five since August, and a Kennebec County long-term care facility is experiencing an outbreak of H1N1, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control.

A Hancock County resident between the ages of 25 years old and 50 years old and a Kennebec County resident older than 65 years old died last week. Both had H1N1 and both had underlying conditions.    » read more »

Panenza®, non-adjuvanted pandemic vaccine, licensed for use in adults and children 6 months of age and older

Lyon, France – November 16, 2009 - Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced today that the French drug agency Afssaps (Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé) has granted marketing authorization in France for Panenza®, its non-adjuvanted Influenza A(H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine, produced at Sanofi Pasteur’s facility in Val de Reuil, France. The vaccine was made available to French health authorities.    » read more »

Swissmedic approval allows Novartis to begin shipments of Celtura to Switzerland, providing supplies of A(H1N1) vaccine immediately

Basel, November 13, 2009 - Novartis announced today that Celtura®, the company's adjuvanted cell culture-based Influenza A(H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine, has received approval in Switzerland from Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products.

This is the second marketing approval for the cell-culture based A(H1N1) pandemic vaccine in Europe. Celtura was approved in Germany earlier in November 2009. The company also has submitted a registration for Celtura in Japan, and will seek approval in a number of other countries.    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- Genzyme Corp. (Nasdaq: GENZ) announced today that it has issued letters to U.S. healthcare providers regarding its enzyme replacement products Cerezyme® (imiglucerase for injection), Fabrazyme® (agalsidase beta), Myozyme® (alglucosidase alfa), Aldurazyme® (laronidase), as well as Thyrogen® (thyrotropin alfa for injection), filled at its Allston Landing manufacturing facility. The letters remind providers of the U.S. product labeling recommendations advising both visual inspection of vials and in-line filtration of enzyme replacement products to address the potential presence of foreign particles.    » read more »

11/13/09 -- Washington, DC -- Yesterday, Congressman Tim Bishop (NY-1) and members of the New York Congressional Delegation sent a bipartisan letter to federal, state and city officials expressing outrage over reports that over a dozen Wall Street firms were approved to receive some of the limited H1N1 vaccines available to the public. According to BusinessWeek, these private companies have received as many as 1200 units each in recent weeks as colleges, nursing homes and schools face severe shortages.    » read more »

10 November 2009, London UK & Philadelphia US -- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for its unadjuvanted influenza A (H1N1) pandemic vaccine. The approval of the sBLA, which was filed as a strain change supplement to GSK’s FluLaval seasonal flu vaccine, allows the company to manufacture a flu vaccine for use in adults to prevent influenza caused by the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza A strain.    » read more »

10 November 2009, London, UK -- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today announced that it has signed an agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) to donate 50 million doses of its adjuvanted pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine to WHO for distribution to developing countries most in need. GSK is working with WHO and health authorities to prepare for initial shipments of the vaccine to developing countries by the end of November.    » read more »

Announces Obama Administration endorsement of Healthy Families Act

11/10/2009 -- WASHINGTON — Deputy Secretary of Labor Seth Harris today testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families regarding workplace flexibility and paid leave in the context of the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic. Harris expressed the administration's strong support for the Healthy Families Act as a way to provide workplace flexibilities and increased economic security.    » read more »

November 10, 2009 -- (Washington D.C.) –Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) attended a Senate hearing examining the problem of H1N1 being spread by workers who can’t afford to miss work when they are sick. Senator Murray gave an opening statement pushing for passage of the Healthy Families Act that would allow workers to earn up to 56 hours of paid leave to care for themselves or their family. This would benefit workers and businesses and help prevent the spread of H1N1 by ensuring that employees have the ability to stay home when they are contagious.

This is especially important for workers who may interact with individuals who are particularly vulnerable to the flu, such as those with underlying health conditions or women who are pregnant.    » read more »

November 9, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell announced that 3,000 bottles of pediatric Tamiflu from the federal government is being distributed today to 29 hospitals and clinics across Connecticut.

Governor Rell said that pediatric Tamiflu is being delivered today to 17 acute care hospitals that have pediatric treatment programs and 12 community health clinics, which treat underserved populations in the state.

“Having Tamiflu on hand will enable our clinicians across the state to treat children’s symptoms as soon as possible,” Governor Rell said. “We continue to do all we can to help medical personnel at hospitals and clinics treat the growing cases of H1N1 influenza among children.”    » read more »

Pingree tells HHS Secretary Sebelius that investment bankers shouldn’t be getting vaccines ahead of high-risk individuals

November 9, 2009 -- Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is demanding an explanation of reports that executives at Wall Street banks have been getting vaccinations for the H1N1 virus while high-risk individuals are going without.

“I was stunned to hear that investment bankers at Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan may be getting these flu shots while children, pregnant women and health care workers in Maine are still waiting for theirs,” Pingree said. “I’m afraid this is going to turn out to be another example of Wall Street thinking that they live by a different set of rules than the rest of us.”    » read more »

November 9, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Today, Congressman Paul Hodes wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, urging her to address reports that Wall Street executives are receiving the H1N1 vaccine before New Hampshire residents. New Hampshire is scheduled to receive additional doses of the vaccine this week, but confusion remains regarding distribution levels and availability, all while Wall Street executives have already received the vaccines they need.    » read more »