Chowrangi

Chicago Tribune unveiled a case of $2.6 million “expired” flu vaccine donated to Pakistan.

It all started back in October 2004 when Illinois Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich came up with idea of buying flu vaccine overseas amidst national reports of a looming shortage of flu vaccines. The contract was quickly awarded to Ecosse Hospital Products Ltd. of Scotland to fetch quarter of million doses of the flu vaccine for state of Illinois. Shortly some other states also pitched in and the ordered quantity reached 800,000 doses.

However before Ecosse was able to ship the vaccines a rift appeared between State of Illinois and Federal Regulators who disallowed the drugs in the country, claiming safety concerns.

Fearing it ultimately wouldn’t be compensated for acquiring the vaccine, Ecosse, which only had a contract with Illinois, sued the state in March 2005 for its $2.6 million bill even as it continued to work with the state to find a place for the vaccine. It tried to give the vaccine to South Africa for HIV patients but they refused to accept the donation. At that time Pakistan encountered the deadly earthquake and as various epidemic erupted afterwards, Ecosse thought it a good idea to offer the vaccines to Pakistan.

Pakistani officials seemed receptive to the donation during initial discussions, Illinois and Ecosse officials said.

In an e-mail on Dec. 23, 2005, Ecosse chief executive John Cochrane discussed the donation with Major Gen. Dr. Abdul Qadir Usmani, executive director of the National Institute of Health at Pakistan’s Federal Relief Commission in Islamabad.

Usmani promised in the e-mail the vaccines would clear customs quickly and be stored in a controlled environment until given to high-risk groups, “particularly old age and patients suffering from chronic diseases.”

On Dec. 30, as the first shipment arrived, Blagojevich announced the donations in a news release, saying he hoped the vaccines “will be put to use to protect people who were left homeless, weak and vulnerable after the devastating earthquake and now are in dire need of protection from influenza this winter.”

He also included a quote from the Pakistani consul general in Chicago, praising “Gov. Blagojevich’s concern for the earthquake victims in Pakistan as well as the Pakistani-Americans who have been tragically touched through loss of family and friends.

“Any effort to help Pakistan in its hour of need is welcome.”

However an email sent on January 9, 2006, Ecosse’s Cochrane wrote to Azhar Mahmood Kayani, the Pakistani prime minister’s personal physician, who negotiated the delivery with Cochrane, “I am deeply frustrated by the Ministry of Health’s refusal to use the vaccines,”

In the e-mail, Cochrane reminded Kayani that the vaccines had been tested and shown to be safe by an independent institute that works for the World Health Organization.

But in interviews with the Tribune, Kayani said Pakistan remained skeptical about using the vaccines.

“We did not ask for these vaccines, and when we accepted them we did not know they were expired.”

Expired Flue Vaccine Trail: A Time Line

Oct. 20, 2004: Amid national reports of a looming shortage of flu vaccines, Gov. Rod Blagojevich pursues buying overseas vaccines.

Nov. 1: The governor asks Ecosse Hospital Products Ltd. of Scotland to find up to 300,000 doses, a request that ultimately leads Illinois to purchase a quarter-million doses for $2.6 million.

Nov. 4: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson signs on to the Blagojevich plan.

Nov. 10: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg joins the effort.

Nov. 18: Signs of trouble first emerge when the Blagojevich administration announces a rift between the Food and Drug Administration and a vaccine manufacturer over records regulators require to determine the drug’s safety.

Dec. 21: An internal Blagojevich administration e-mail raises the possibility that the state will never take delivery of the vaccine.

Jan. 11, 2005: Ecosse, which acquired almost 800,000 doses of vaccines for Illinois and other governments without a formal contract, sends a $2.6 million bill to Illinois.

Jan. 13: Blagojevich administration signs a contract with Ecosse, agreeing to pay the bill.

Jan 31: Citing a contract escape clause, Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes refuses to pay for the undelivered vaccines. The Blagojevich administration sides with Ecosse, and seeks to resell the vaccines on the European market.

March 16: Ecosse sues in the Illinois Court of Claims for $2.6 million.

August: The flu vaccines expire, although health experts later say the vaccines are still good for current strains of the virus. Illinois offers the vaccines to help treat South African AIDS patients. South Africa later declines.

Oct. 8: Pakistan is hit with an earthquake that kills 87,000 people and leaves millions homeless.

Dec. 30, 2005: Blagojevich announces the vaccines have been sent to Pakistan for earthquake relief.

Jan. 9, 2006: John Cochrane, chief executive of Ecosse, writes an e-mail seeking to persuade reluctant Pakistani officials to use the vaccine.

Sept. 19: State Auditor Gen. William Holland slams Blagojevich over his handling of the vaccines, arguing it was unlawful.

November 2006: Pakistan destroys the expired vaccines after declaring them unusable, according to officials and government records.

The time line shows that vaccines were sent to Pakistan in December 2005 while Pakistani authorities disposed them in November 2006. Though it is not clear how many doses were sent, the shipment weighed nearly 9 tons.

Its real mystery why Pakistani authorities kept the doses for almost a year before disposing them. Also, there was no official statement on record by any of the concerned authorities involved in relief and rehabilitation work for the earthquake affected. Such a statement, according to the Tribune, would be bad for diplomatic relations between the two “allies”

“Remember, the vaccine was sent by the Americans,” said a Pakistani government source speaking on the condition on anonymity. “You could get into trouble with diplomatic relations between the two countries.”

The Blagojevich administration said in its recent statement that the last it heard the Pakistanis were happy and the donation was an appropriate ending to a saga.

And the governor, who has previously described his pursuit of the vaccines as “probably the best decision I’ve ever made,” still maintains Illinois should write the check.

Other posts by Kashif Aziz

• Aafia Siddiqui Indicted for Attempting to Kill United States Nationals in Afghanistan - September 3rd, 2008
• Senator Zardari? - September 2nd, 2008
• Afghanistan Government to release Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's son - September 2nd, 2008
• Alarming Development in Nayyar Zaidi Case - August 31st, 2008
• United States DoJ confirms identity of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's son, but he denies it - August 30th, 2008
• Pakistan edging towards another Military Rule? - Part 2 - August 30th, 2008
• Pakistan edging towards another Military Rule? - Part 1 - August 29th, 2008
• Say No to Electricity Bills - August 28th, 2008
• Tanzeem Naqvi resigned from KESC - August 28th, 2008
• Pakistan faces severe Power Crisis - August 27th, 2008

Thank you for reading this post. You can now Read Comment (1) or Leave A Trackback.