Federal Officials Seize Supply of Flu Vaccine Destined for Black Market
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on Tuesday announced that agents on Nov. 16 at John F. Kennedy International Airport seized about 8,000 doses of unapproved and potentially contaminated flu vaccine intended for sale on the black market, USA Today reports (Leinwand, USA Today, 11/24). New Jersey-based Shore Memorial Hospital officials alerted federal agents to the unapproved shipment after they were offered hundreds of doses of Vaxigrip -- a flu vaccine manufactured by Aventis that is not FDA-approved -- "by a 'business entity' operating outside the hospital's purchasing procedures," the Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Urgo, Philadelphia Inquirer, 11/24). The suppliers allegedly attempted to sell the vaccine for $55 per dose; a single dose usually retails for about $15, the New York Post reports (Murray/Sujo, New York Post, 11/24). The vaccine appeared to have been manufactured in France and shipped from Saudi Arabia to New York on a commercial airplane (USA Today, 11/24). The seized doses had not been refrigerated properly, which could lead to a microbial buildup in the vaccine that could cause "widespread illness," according to the Inquirer (Philadelphia Inquirer, 11/24). Federal investigators on Monday also raided a New Jersey residence and seized six boxes of records, according to a neighbor (USA Today, 11/24).
Response
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Mark Raimondi said that investigators seized "a substantial amount, but it was hardly flooding the market. It was a legitimate vaccine, but it wasn't FDA-approved and hadn't been handled in the appropriate manner" (New York Post, 11/24). He added, "At no time was there ever a chance of this particular shipment entering the supply chain." The seizure does not appear to have revealed an organized effort to illegally import flu vaccine, nor does it seem to be related to terrorist activity, according to USA Today. Federal officials expect to make arrests in the future (USA Today, 11/24).
