Millions of doses Canadian-made H1N1 vaccine headed out of the country
The only Canadian pharmaceutical company licensed to produce the H1N1 vaccine will be exporting millions of doses to outside markets due to limits in the fill capacity at its Quebec-based plant. According to the Globe and Mail, the U.S. faces similar delays in its planned vaccine rollout. Health officials there have already begun “hunting for factories that can get more of the liquid into vials quicker.” But a spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada told the Globe that, although the 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.” For its part, GlaxoSmithKline maintains that it is “meeting all of its contractual obligations to the Canadian government.”