Who invented the Swine Flu vaccine?

Answer 1

For the 2012-2013 Flu Season in the Northern Hemisphere:

The vaccine for the H1N1/09 virus is included in the seasonal flu vaccine as one of the three virus types expected this flu season, so a separate vaccination is no longer needed.

For the 2010-2011 and 2011 - 2012 Flu Seasons in the Northern Hemisphere:

The vaccine was available just like in the prior flu seasons for the "regular" flu vaccine. There was no separate distribution system this time. The vaccine for the H1N1/09 virus is included in the seasonal flu vaccine, so no separate vaccination was needed these years.

For the 2009 H1N1/09 pandemic and 2009-2010 Flu Season:

In the US now that the vaccine is being distributed, the supplies are going to the state health departments and from there, they are distributing to the communities and organizations in their states for local vaccination programs and individual providers to administer the vaccines.

Development of the vaccines was an international effort with government public health organizations working together with each other and with drug manufacturers along with the World Health Organization (WHO) for creation and recommendations for use of the different types of vaccines. The WHO and CDC were prominent in selecting and isolating the strain that would be most effective to grow and to use to create the vaccines.

In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Health and Human Services (HHS) and even the Homeland Security organizations are involved in plans for manufacture, testing, approval, and administration programs. The CDC's committee making the recommendations is called The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

In the UK, it is the NHS who is primarily advising the governments in the UK. The WHO, CDC, NHS, and health ministries of other individual countries are making recommendations on immunization program planning and preparation, and then it will be up to the governments to determine the best use for their citizens of the vaccines as they become available. They will be available after testing by the manufacturers and by the government agencies, and when subsequently approved and released for distribution and use in the planned immunization programs.

In the US, the program will be entirely voluntary, leaving the choice to take the vaccine with each individual and parents. Some states and employers have mandated health care workers take vaccines for the A-H1N1/09 to continue to work with the ill patients in their care.

See also the related question, "Which cities states or countries have deaths or cases of swine flu?" in the related question section below for more information and regular updates on the vaccines, manufacture, and immunization approval processes.

Answer 2

It was not invented as a new product, just a modification of the previous flu vaccines. The vaccine is made exactly like flu vaccines have been made for decades, the only difference is in the virus the vaccine contains. Selecting the right strain of the H1N1/09 Swine Flu virus that would provide the best immunity for the most people was a joint effort between the US CDC, WHO, and various countries' departments of health. Once the strain was isolated and grown, the "seed" viruses were provided to approved manufacturers to develop, test, and market vaccines made with them.

Since 2004, the US Health and Human Services (HHS) has contracted with manufacturers that currently hold U.S. licenses for flu vaccine as part of the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza. In May 2009, HHS issued new orders on these contracts to produce a bulk supply of vaccine antigen and adjuvant and to produce pilot (also called investigational) lots of a 2009 H1N1 vaccine.

The Swiss pharmaceuticals company, Novartis AG, announced June 14, 2009 that it had successfully produced a first batch of swine flu vaccine weeks ahead of expectations. This was attributed partially to the good quality and selection of the seed stock of the virus provided by CDC for the manufacturers to use.

The initial vaccine was produced at a Novartis plant in Marburg, Germany.

Answer 3

jcgfufut