Vaccine maker Adimmune Corp (國光生技) yesterday tried to allay investors’ concerns about rising risks from flu vaccinations after seven people died after receiving a flu shot, saying there is no direct link between the vaccine and deaths.
Among the seven who passed away a few days after being vaccinated earlier last month, four of them received vaccines made by Sanofi SA, two by Adimmune and one by TTY Biopharm Co (台灣東洋藥品), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said.
As of Friday, 192 claims of adverse reactions to flu shots had been reported to the CDC, including 116 cases in which people received a flu shot manufactured by Adimmiune, the center said.
Photo: CNA
“The CDC’s advisory specialist panel has preliminarily determined that the causes of the deaths were likely the people’s underlying health conditions,” Adimmune spokesman Pan Fei (潘飛) told the Taipei Times by telephone.
“From our point of view, given that some of the seven died of cardiovascular complications, such as myocardial infarction, and that our egg-based flu vaccine is an inactivated vaccine, in which the virus has been disrupted by a detergent, it seems unlikely that our flu vaccines are to blame for the incidents,” Pan said.
The deaths have raised public concern, with many wondering if they should still take flu vaccines if they have health conditions or chronic diseases.
“We used to warn people allergic to the ingredients in the vaccines, such as egg allergies, not to get flu shots, in addition to those who have experienced serious adverse reactions after being vaccinated or those who have a fever. Now, we urge people to talk to doctors first before getting a flu shot,” Pan said.
Adimmune has supplied the government with 3.7 million flu vaccines for this year — or 60 percent of all government-funded flu shots — but the ratio of people having an adverse reaction to the vaccine is very low at 116 cases, he added.
Adimmune yesterday reported record-high sales of NT$614 million (US$21.24 million) for last month, 2.75 times higher than a year earlier.
Revenue received a boost as the firm last month booked sales from all 3.7 million flu vaccines, Pan said, adding that it finished supplying all the vaccines to the government last month as people urgently wanted to get them.
For the first 10 months of the year, its revenue surged 98 percent year-on-year to NT$1.66 billion.
The company reported a net loss of NT$159 million for the first six months of the year, or a loss per share of NT$0.41, company data showed.
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