No 42 - 2013

Tender for two vaccines for the Danish childhood vaccination programme

For some time, the SSI has had technical production issues related to the polio vaccine (Pol), which was to form part of two of the vaccines under the Danish childhood vaccination programme. A temporary provider is therefore now needed.

Unfortunately, the technical issues mean that the SSI foresees a temporary period of shortage where the SSI will be unable to supply the Type 2 polio component.

Once we have exhausted the present stock, the SSI will therefore be unable to supply the standard DTaP-IPV/Hib vaccines and DTaP-IPV booster vaccines for the Danish childhood vaccination programme. We expect that we will face this shortage in the beginning of 2014.

To ensure continued availability, the SSI is looking to temporarily replace these two vaccines by acquiring equivalent, approved vaccines from foreign manufacturers by way of an EU tender.

Two other manufacturers market vaccines equivalent to those normally used in the Danish childhood vaccination programme. The vaccines of these manufacturers are used in our neighbouring countries.

By the end of November, once the result of the tender is known, the SSI will publish a detailed description of the temporary adaptation of the childhood vaccination programme that includes the new vaccines.

It should be noted that the technical issues were identified before the production of the vaccines concluded. The vaccines currently available and used in the childhood vaccination programme have thus not been affected and doctors should continue to vaccinate children using the SSI's vaccines as previously until further notice.
(Department of infectious disease epidemiology)

Information by the Danish Health and Medicines Authority

The Danish Health and Medicines Authority assess that the temporary shift in vaccine provider is of no major concern regarding the Danish childhood vaccination program. Until further notice the doctors should continue to vaccinate using the currently used vaccines.

The Danish Health and Medicines Authority also recommends that doctors keep themselves updated via the webpage of the Danish Health and Medicines Authority at www.ssi.dk
(Danish Health and Medicines Authority)

Link to previous issues of EPI-NEWS

16 October 2013