| H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Storage |
The Department of Health has made arrangements for the supply of sufficient H1N1 swine flu vaccine for the population of the UK.
Vaccine Contracts: Baxter Healthcare Ltd and GlaxoSmithKline.
The first supplies of vaccine are expected to be available from August, increasing over the next three months and will continue over about 12 months. A vaccine distribution strategy, similar to that used for HPV vaccine, is being developed.
The Vaccines
Two doses of both Baxter and GSK vaccines are currently recommended with a minimum interval of three weeks between doses. These vaccines will go through the previously established European licensing procedures for pandemic vaccines.
There is no evidence that the vaccines are interchangeable – so individuals need to receive two doses of the Baxter vaccine, or two doses of the GSK vaccine (but not one dose of each). This will require accurate recording of which vaccine was administered for the first dose.
Storage
As for other vaccines, the vaccines need to be stored between 2°C and 8°C. It is likely that the vaccines will be supplied in the following presentations:
The Baxter product:
- Will be presented in a pack of 20 multi-dose vials of 5ml suspension per pack.
- Each 5ml vial should provide 10 doses.
- Each pack should provide 200 doses.
- The pack size is 206mm x 166mm x 55mm.
The GSK product:
- Will be presented in a box of 50 multi-dose vials of 2.5ml suspension and two boxes containing 25 2.5ml vials of adjuvant
- Each 5.0 ml of reconstituted vaccine should provide 10 doses.
- Each pack should provide 500 doses.
- The pack size is 260mm x 113mm x 97mm.
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