Flu vaccine shortage grips Pakistan as winter nears, Sinovac expected by November 15

ISLAMABAD: With winter closing in, Pakistan is running short of flu vaccine — and the people who roll up their sleeves for a shot every October are coming home empty-handed. Naeem Ahmed’s elderly mother has had her flu jab every October for years. This year, he told Dawn, she will most likely go into winter unprotected, because the vaccine simply is not there.
All three big brands have vanished from the shelves
Three brands used to cover the local market: Sinovac’s Anflu/TetrAnflu from China, Sanofi’s French Vaxigrip and Abbott’s American Influvac. This year, none of them is available. One pharmacist told Dawn he used to sell at least 1,500 shots in October alone; this year he could not arrange a single one. Another citizen, Sohail Jamil, said he had asked at several medical stores and was told the same thing everywhere — no stock. The flu jab is recommended for older people and children over three, ideally in early autumn, in September or October, before flu activity picks up.
Chinese vaccine by 15 November; Western brands may not come at all
Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan chief executive Dr Obaidullah Malik told Dawn the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine would be available by 15 November. A health ministry official put the shortage down to two things: transport problems caused by the tensions in the Middle East, and prices pushed up by surging demand. The official said the French and American brands may not reach customers at all this year, while the Sinovac shots should arrive within a fortnight. That may settle some nerves — but many people stick to the same brand year after year, for reasons of trust or medical suitability, and for them switching is easier said than done.
A price mismatch on the one vaccine that is available
Even the one flu vaccine on sale carries its own confusion. Virionza, an inactivated split-virion seasonal influenza vaccine, is being sold at a maximum retail price of Rs1,304 — yet scanning the 2D barcode printed on its packaging shows a price of Rs654. The barcode exists precisely to keep a check on price-gouging by manufacturers and pharmacies alike. A health ministry official conceded it looked like an error in the barcode system and said the company was selling at the correct price. Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said he would look into why the printed price and the barcode price do not match, and repeated that the Sinovac vaccine would be available soon.
Fake shots are filling the gap
The shortage has opened the door to counterfeits. Drug inspectors in Lahore raided a premises and seized a large quantity of suspected fake Influvac, arresting two people. On 27 October, DRAP issued a rapid alert declaring a batch of Vaxigrip Tetra (batch Y4B34) spurious, saying it had never been imported, cleared or distributed in Pakistan through legal channels. Officials have urged the public to buy flu vaccine only from licensed pharmacies, and to check the batch number, the manufacturer’s seal and cold-chain storage before paying.