Ministers have signed agreements to secure up to 90 million doses of swine flu vaccine despite the fact that a pandemic has not yet been declared, it was announced today.
The deals with pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Baxter will secure “early supplies” of a vaccine for the newly identified H1N1 strain.
Enough “pre-pandemic” vaccine has been ordered to protect at least half of the population by December, at an estimated cost of £100 million.
This is in addition to the purchase of 500 million doses of anti-viral drugs that have already been stockpiled to help treat illness and deals to procure vaccine in the event of a pandemic.
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