# Debunk this flu shot dis-information glurge, please

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-this-flu-shot-dis-information-glurge-please/270219>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 20, 2004, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-this-flu-shot-dis-information-glurge-please/270219 "2004-10-20T14:25:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-this-flu-shot-dis-information-glurge-please/270219/21 "2004-10-21T03:32:00Z")

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I heard that the reason the flu vaccine is not produced in sufficient quantities is that influenza vaccination is not widely used, leading to diminished demand. Here is a quote lifted from the annual report of MedImmune, Inc., the folks who make FluMist, the intranasal vaccine.

“FluMist inventories have required a significant amount of  
judgment since the Acquisition in January 2002. One reason is  
that the finished FluMist product has a shelf life of nine months.  
Most of the inventory components for FluMist have expiration  
dates that range from nine to 24 months. The annual FluMist  
production cycle begins in October of the year prior to the  
influenza season in which the product will be consumed. For  
example, the production cycle for the 2002/2003 season began  
in October 2001. All production costs for the 2002/2003 season  
were fully reserved as we assessed the probability of approval  
by the FDA in time to commercialize the product for the  
2002/2003 season was remote. **During 2003, we disposed of  
$18.7 million of fully reserved inventory related to the  
2002/2003 flu season.**” (bolding mine)

[Here](http://www.medimmune.com/ar/medimmune_03ar/pdf/AR2003.pdf) is a link to the full report. This year of course, rather than get stuck with another 8 million doses, they made substantially less than half of the vaccine they were capable of. Supply and demand, and who can blame them? If the federal government were to stop being so vague with their recommendations, and just say that everyone should get a shot, and if most people were to get vaccinated, there would be enough vaccine for everyone, as soon as manufacturers realized they had a guaranteed market.

Mind you, I’m not saying the government should do this, or even that it’s a good idea to do this, but that would be the result.

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**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunk-this-flu-shot-dis-information-glurge-please/270219/22 "2004-10-21T08:23:41Z")

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According to [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/glurge/glurge.asp) this UL is not glurge:

“glurge is the sending of inspirational (often supposedly “true”) tales that conceal much darker meanings than the uplifting moral lessons they purport to offer”. It seems more like a flat-out politically-motivated lie.

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