Germany orders recall of some Novartis flu shots - New York News | NYC Breaking News
Member Center:
By FRANK JORDANS
BERLIN (AP) — German authorities ordered a recall Thursday of some batches of Novartis flu vaccine as a precautionary measure, after the company reported the appearance of small particles in the manufacturing process.
The Paul Ehrlich Institute, which is part of the country's Ministry of Health, said there had been no reports of particle formation in Germany or of any serious side effects during the current flu season.
"However, in the interest of risk prevention and consumer safety it is necessary to cancel the approval for certain vaccines, since the formation of particles in the vaccine and therefore the risk of serious side effects cannot be ruled out," the institute's president Prof. Klaus Cichutek said in a statement.
The decision affects four batches of the influenza vaccine Begripal and one batch of Fluad.
Italy's health ministry banned the sale of four Novartis flu drugs on Wednesday. These included Fluad and Begripal — sold as Aggripal in Italy — as well as two others: Influpozzi Adiuvato and Influpozzi Subunita.
Switzerland's regulator Swissmedic also suspended deliveries of flu vaccines from Novartis as a preventive measure against possible contamination.
Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said there was currently no evidence to pull the vaccines off the market, but that it was gathering further information on the Novartis products.
The Swiss pharmaceutical company said Thursday it was cooperating with the Ministry of Health in Italy, where the vaccines are produced, and was committed to providing vaccines to patients for the upcoming flu season.
"Novartis confirms that these particles can occur in the vaccine manufacturing process and is confident that there is no impact on the safety or efficacy of the vaccine," the Basel-based company said.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
The driver of a vehicle that crashed into a grocery store on 2nd Avenue and East 4th Street in the East Village on Wednesday morning has been arrested. The car jumped the curb before mowing down a tree, light post, fire hydrant and injuring six people.
The driver of a vehicle that crashed into a grocery store on 2nd Avenue and East 4th Street in the East Village on Wednesday morning has been arrested. The car jumped the curb before mowing down a tree, light post, fire hydrant and injuring six people.
June 19 is National Dine Out Day. Restaurants and vendors across the country are contributing a percentage of their revenues for the day to the NJ Relief Fund to benefit Superstorm Sandy victims.
One bird may have been responsible for several hundred Hoboken residents losing power.
One bird may have been responsible for several hundred Hoboken residents losing power. A spokeswoman for Public Service Electric & Gas says the bird touched a transformer on Clinton Street near Columbus Park Wednesday morning.
 | 
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 Fox Television Stations, Inc. and Worldnow. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Ad Choices |
