Influenza vaccine is produced by growing the virus in eggs. The virus is killed and processed to create the vaccine, which is given by injection under the skin. The body then produces antibodies to the virus over the next two to four weeks. If the immunized person then comes into contact with the influenza virus, the antibodies attack and kill the virus before it has a chance to cause infection. Vaccines are biological products that have expiration dates, like fresh foods, and manufacturers manage inventories by sending out older products first to avoid having supplies pass expiration dates. When they pass the dates, they are destroyed. Securities and Exchange Commission accounting regulation bars vaccine makers from claiming sales to the stockpile program as revenue until they're delivered to the customer. Under SEC rules, companies generally can't count a sale as revenue until the buyer takes delivery.
The major pharmaceutical companies in the US produced almost 90% of the nations flu vaccine at one time. They did this despite a very low profit margin for the product. Basically, they were doing it for the benefit of people at large. In the late 80's a man from North Carolina who had received the vaccine got the flu. The vaccine was made by a US company. He sued and he won. He was awarded almost $5 million. After that case was appealed and lost, most US pharmaceutical companies stopped making the vaccine. The liability out weighed the profit margin. Since UK and Canadian laws prohibit such law suits UK and Canadian companies began selling the vaccine in the US.
Chiron, a major manufacturer of flu vaccine, was making 46-48 million doses vaccine for the United States. As Chiron is a British company British health officials stopped Chiron from distributing and making the vaccine when inspectors found unsanitary conditions in the labs..........
