Related Topics >> swine flu | H1N1 | Vaccine | stockpiling | Europe | FranceFrance orders $1.4B worth of flu shots July 16, 2009 — 10:19am ET | By Tracy Staton Related Stories Israel wants flu vax made at home Swine flu could be FluMist's moment Flu vaccine yields are up, officials say Governments have flu meds--now what? Can vaccine makers deliver on flu shot deals? Tools Email Print Comment Contact Author Reprint Not to be outdone by its neighbors, France has ordered a whopping 94 million doses of swine flu vaccine. The government plans to spend almost €1 billion on those doses--$1.4 billion--with contracts to homegrown Sanofi-Aventis as well as GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis. And it's counting on two doses per recipient, so the orders will be enough to cover almost three-fourths of the population, Reuters reports.
France has tapped GlaxoSmithKline for 50 million doses and Novartis for 16 million, with an option for 8 million more. The Sanofi contract covers 28 million doses, with an option for 28 million more. The vaccines are expected for delivery between October and January, Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said.
As you know, U.K. has now ordered enough vaccine to treat its entire population, with those orders going to GlaxoSmithKline and Baxter. Germany plans to cover one-third of its people with 50 million doses.
