Some flu shots out of stock but don’t panic, says Malaysia’s health minister
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Malaysia’s health ministry said there is no rising trend of influenza cases in Malaysia.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PIXABAY
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PETALING JAYA - There is no need to panic as Malaysia’s health ministry has an adequate supply of flu vaccines in its healthcare facilities, says Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad.
The health minister said that although the country has run out of some types of flu vaccine, the new stock is expected to arrive by March.
Speaking to The Star on Feb 9, Dr Dzulkefly said this situation was confirmed by the pharmaceutical and healthcare companies handling flu vaccines in Malaysia.
“There was a high uptake globally. They informed me that they have run out of stock, but it will be restocked in early March,” said Dr Dzulkefly.
“They are, however, planning to switch to trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines (TIV) come September this year.”
TIV protects against three different Influenza viruses, while Sanofi flu shots protect against influenza A and B strains.
“The influenza vaccine supply situation in Malaysia highlights some challenges in ensuring the stability of product availability, particularly for quadrivalent vaccines,” said Dr Dzulkefly.
“There are four registered influenza vaccine brands, but currently, only two are actively available on the market – namely Vaxigrip Tetra (Sanofi) and Influvac Tetra (Abbott) – which are supplied under the contract with the Health Ministry.”
“Fluarix Tetra (GSK) is no longer marketed, and SKYCellflu (Pharmaniaga Marketing, SK Bioscience Korea) has no stock in the country,” he added.
“Currently, there is an unexpected surge in demand for influenza vaccines, affecting the supply of the two remaining products.”
Said Dr Dzulkefly: “Sanofi is working to secure supplies from Thailand and France to meet demand in the private sector, while Abbott, although still having stock, has commitments tied to its contract with the Health Ministry. The Pharmacy Services Programme is closely monitoring the vaccine supply in Health Ministry facilities, and the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency is also in communication with the product registration holders to ensure a smooth supply.”
“These proactive measures are crucial to ensure that the influenza vaccines meet the current demand, especially in efforts to strengthen public health protection during the flu season,” said Dr Dzulkefly.
The Star reported that Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations Malaysia president Shanmuganathan T.V. Ganeson had said some vaccines are out of stock.
General practitioners are reported to be seeing a spike in demand following the death of Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu
“There is currently no stock. None in Sanofi, Zuellig or third-party drug reseller companies,” said Dr Shanmuganathan.
“The new batch of vaccines, both Fluarix and Vaxigrip, may be available by early March.” THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
