Flu Vaccine Emergency.

Received as E-mail from: California Medical Association on Friday, November 3, 2000:

<HTML>Subj: !!SPECIAL ALERT!! Order Flu Vaccines today! 
Date: 11/03/2000 1:51:41 PM Pacific Standard Time 
From: data@calmed.org (CMA Alert) 
To: data@calmed.org 
 
Physicians and Office Staff 
Special Flu Vaccine Alert: 
 
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has just informed CMA that it 
has given physicians until the end of today to order flu vaccines 
before the major distributors place their larger orders. We are 
outraged that physicians have been given such short notice to secure 
vaccines for their patients before those who are more interested in 
profits than patients are able to order this scarce resource. We are 
outraged at the profiteering and greed that has accompanied the 
distribution of this year*s vaccine supply--at the expense of 
high-risk patients. 
 
The CDC has informed us that it has contracted with Aventis-Pasteur 
for an additional 9 million doses of flu vaccine. Aventis-Pasteur 
says it will not be able to deliver the vaccines until after Dec. 12. 
Aventis-Pasteur says it will fill orders according to CDC guidelines: 
Those with high-risk patients will receive the vaccine doses before 
those who will use them for preventative vaccinations to the general 
population. 
 
It is imperative that those physicians who need the 
vaccines place their orders today, Friday, Nov. 3. 
 
Here is how to order vaccine flu doses from Aventis-Pasteur: 
1. Go to the Aventis-Pasteur web site at http://www.vaccineshoppe.com 
2. Click on the *Fluzone© Application Form* 
3. Download and complete the three-page form 
4. Fax the form to Aventis-Pasteur at 888/889-7129 
5. If you have any further questions, please contact Aventis-Pasteur 
at 570/839-7187 
 
CMA is sending letters to the individual flu vaccine manufacturers 
requesting a meeting so that we can work together to restore a fair 
and timely distribution system. We want to make that, in the future, 
high-risk patient populations receive the vaccines first. Wyeth 
Ayerst reported to CMA today that it will distribute its first 1 
million doses according to CDC guidelines. 
 
CMA is also calling on all commercial and private entities that have 
purchased large volumes of the flu vaccine to immediately contact 
hospitals, public health officials, nursing homes and other health 
care entities in their area. We are asking them to trade or advance 
to these health care institutions a portion of their current vaccine 
supply so that high-risk patients can receive their flu vaccines. 
When the health care institutions receive their pending orders, they 
can send doses back to the private companies that loaned them the 
vaccines. 
</XMP> 
 
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Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 14:57:22 -0800 
To: data@calmed.org 
From: CMA Alert <data@calmed.org> 
Subject: !!SPECIAL ALERT!! Order Flu Vaccines today! 
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WebEditor's Addition:
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) website for this emergency is:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/flu-vac-supply/

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John H. Frenster, M.D.
Physicians' Educational Series
247 Stockbridge Avenue
Atherton, CA 94027-5446
Phone: 650/367-6483
Fax: 650/364-1773
WebSite: http://www.frenster.com/

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