March 2, 2005
The British government has lifted a suspension of drug marker Chiron's license, clearing the way for it to resume production of flu vaccine. The plant was shut down last fall, creating a huge shortage of flu vaccine Fluvirin in the United States.
British health authorities shut down the Chiron plant in Liverpool in October after conditions at the plant created concerns about contamination of the flu vaccine. Britain's Department of Health now says these concerns have been addressed.
"The MHRA inspectors have concluded that satisfactory progress has been made in the manufacturing areas which had previously caused concern," the Department of Health said in a statement.
The Chiron plant shutdown created widespread flu vaccine shortages in the U.S. as well as other countries. The plant supplied nearly half the vaccine used in the U.S., and there were few other sources at the time of the supply interruption.
The British government said it had ordered 14 million doses of flu vaccine but fewer than 3 million had been ordered from Chiron.
