Summary
H1N1 is a deadly strain of flu that has caused the White House to declare an emergency. The CDC says that instead of having 40 million doses of vaccines available there are only 28 - 30 million. On Friday an anti-viral was given emergency use authorization which allows it to be used even though it is not yet approved. This raises hope for Sinovac which has an H1N1 vaccine ready.
Analysis
Since the White House declared H1N1 (swine flu) an emergency last week it seems that all possible treatments and vaccines are under closer scrutiny and perhaps being looked on more favorably.
Flu can be a very serious infection. 36,000 deaths each year (US) result from flu related causes. About 200,000 people are hospitalized due to flu related complications and in a normal year approx 5% - 20% of the US population gets flu. This is 'normal' flu, not H1N1, so it can have very serious public health consequences, hence President Obama's position on its importance.
Sinovac's approval in Mexico might be good news for the US. According to the CDC only 28-30 million doses of vaccines would be ready for end-October, which is down from the original estimate of 40 million. Other vaccine manufacturers have not yet developed an H1N1-specific strain, so any availability of suitable alternatives must be considered.
At the same time as H1N1 was given emergency status, a company in Alabama, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its IV flu drug, which is an anti-viral called peramivir. This is not a vaccine but a drug that should be used, in this case, when oral anti-virals such as Tamiflu and Relenza have not been effective. An EUA allows a drug to be used even though it is not yet approved by FDA. This illustrates how the government (HHS, FDA) is responding to all alternatives that might help in the fight against a new strain of flu that has already proved to be deadly.
What is good news for Mexico might hopefully be good news for the US too.
