WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Senators Pat Roberts and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) sent a letter to Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, underscoring the need to shore up our seasonal flu vaccine production and distribution system to ensure we have the infrastructure needed to respond to both seasonal and pandemic influenza. Senators Roberts and Clinton have introduced legislation that would make these needed fixes.

Specifically, the Roberts-Clinton bill, the Influenza Vaccine Security Act, addresses the causes of the influenza shortage by bringing increased stability to our nation’s seasonal flu vaccine market. The bill provides a framework through which our public health officials can track vaccines to from the factory to the provider and to make sure high priority populations are vaccinated. The bill also provides technical assistance to companies that wish to produce vaccine domestically, and it will increase education about the importance of obtaining seasonal flu vaccines.

The full text of the letter to Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention follows:

Dear Dr. Gerberding:

“During the recent National Influenza Vaccine Summit, cosponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Medical Association (AMA), we were pleased to see a major topic of discussion was our nation’s continued difficulties to effectively track and distribute seasonal influenza vaccine. We would urge you to heed the suggestions of several summit participants and implement, as quickly as possible, a system through which we can track shipments of vaccine from the factory to the provider.

“Since 2000, our nation has faced multiple shortages of seasonal flu vaccine. This year, delays in vaccine production, combined with heightened demand for seasonal flu vaccine, resulted in many seniors and chronically ill individuals experiencing long waits to obtain flu shots. Many providers have contacted us to express frustration at their continuing inability to accurately predict at which point they may be able to provide needed supplies of influenza vaccine to their patients. At a time when we routinely use tracking to trace deliveries of other goods in the private market, we still cannot accurately predict when a vaccine order placed in the summer might actually be delivered to a provider in the winter. To this end, it certainly makes sense for your agency, which recommends that priority populations get vaccinated, create a market in which patients and providers can easily follow these recommendations and get the vaccines to those who need it most.

“In order to address these concerns, we introduced the Influenza Vaccine Security Act. This legislation would establish a tracking system through which we could better trace the distribution of vaccine from the factory to the provider and identify counties with high numbers of priority populations. With such a system in place, we could easily determine in times of shortage where vaccine was most needed and facilitate distribution to those areas. All of this could take place in a matter of hours, rather than days or weeks.

“We understand that you are exploring options to implement such a system and would urge you to look at the model established in our bill. The tracking system in this legislation builds upon the current private system of distribution, and has received the support of vaccine manufacturers and public health groups. Linking information through a national database can be done in a manner that does not jeopardize free market competition.

“At a time when our nation is facing the threat of avian influenza, and is increasing preparations for a pandemic outbreak, we must first act to strengthen the capacity of the public health infrastructure to respond to seasonal influenza. Pandemic influenza will place a great strain on our nation, and our public health system will need to respond to unforeseen complications for which we cannot plan. It simply makes sense to establish a tracking system for vaccine distribution that can be used in both seasonal and pandemic events and have a system that is already operational, rather than rely on untried mechanisms in an emergency situation where we will already be facing multiple obstacles to delivery of health care.

“We look forward to learning further of the results of your discussions at this summit, and urge you to follow the immediate recommendations to develop an influenza vaccine tracking system. We remain committed to working with the CDC to ensure that all Americans who wish to receive an influenza vaccine will be able to obtain one. Thank you.”

Senator Roberts is a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.