VACCINE manufacturer, Seqirus, will distribute one million doses of its influenza vaccine to pharmacies and general practices over the next three weeks.
The refreshed supplies announced this morning form part of the three million additional doses secured by the Federal Government last month (PD 20 Apr), in response to increased demand for the flu vaccine this year.
With many pharmacies having already exhausted their pre-ordered stock, a spokesperson for the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, told Pharmacy Daily that the Seqirus announcement was "very welcome", and should replenish supplies for patients seeking access to the vaccination through the community pharmacy setting.
Seqirus Executive Director Commercial Operations, Danielle Dowell, said the business had restarted its flu vaccine production in an effort to ensure as many Australians as possible can receive the vaccination in 2020.
"We've seen extremely strong demand for flu vaccines this year -- it's fantastic to see so many Australians listening to expert advice on the importance of flu vaccination programs," she said.
"For those who haven't yet had their flu vaccine -- there is now additional stock rolling out across the country in the next few weeks - please check with your GP or pharmacy first around availability.
"The Seqirus manufacturing team in Victoria have been working incredibly hard to turn around these additional doses so that as many Australians as possible can protect themselves from flu, because we know that flu vaccination programs will be more important than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic."
The Australian-based manufacturer is set to deliver a further million doses for the private market in the coming weeks, as part of the Government's efforts to safe-guard against a severe flu season coinciding with a potential spike in cases of COVID-19.
A spokesperson for Seqirus told Pharmacy Daily that the vaccines will be allocated equitably on a demand basis, but said "we encourage community pharmacies to get their orders in".
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 27 May 20
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