ISLAMABAD: With the onset of winter nearly here, a number of families in the federal capital have been unable to get their hands on influenza (flu) vaccines.

According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, an annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to help reduce the risk of getting flu and any of its potentially serious complications.

Naeem Ahmed, a resident of the federal capital who gets a shot of the flu vaccine for his mother every year in October, told Dawn that he had been running from pillar to post for the last month but could not find the vaccine in the market.

“I have been administering the vaccine to my mother for the last many years, but unfortunately this year it seems that my mother will become vulnerable to influenza as the vaccine may remain unavailable,” he feared.

Another citizen, Sohail Jamil, had the same story: he searched for the vaccine at various medical stores, but was told that it was not available this year.

A pharmacist running a drug store, wishing not to be named, said that the Chinese Sinovac, French Vaxigrip and American Influvac were the three primary flu vaccines available in the local market. However, none of them were available this year.

“I used to sell at least 1,500 shots in October, but this year I could not arrange a single one,” he said, explaining that the vaccine should ideally be administered in early autumn, around September or October — especially to the elderly — just before flu activity increases in the community.

The pharmacist claimed that, due to rumours that the vaccine would not be available this year, some agents had started online bookings in the black market and received advance payments. However, even they were not able to provide the vaccine, he said.

Speaking to Dawn, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), Dr Obaidullah Malik, said that the Chinese vaccine Sinovac would be made available by Nov 15.

Price discrepancy

Meanwhile, the only available vaccine, Virionza — an inactivated, split-virion seasonal flu vaccine — has been facing a price-related controversy as the Drap-introduced barcode shows a price 50 per cent less than the maximum retail price (MRP) listed on the pack.

The pack lists the MRP as Rs1,304, but scanning the barcode available on the same pack shows the price to be Rs654.

By introducing the barcode on every medicine, Drap claims that companies cannot increase the prices of medicines or vaccines as consumers will be able to check the actual price through the barcode.

However, when contacted, a senior official of the health ministry, wishing not to be named, said that there was something wrong with the barcode system, while the company was selling the vaccine at the correct price.

The ministry official said that there were two reasons behind the unavailability of the vaccines.

“The first is that the vaccine has become short in the international market for various reasons, including transportation issues due to the Iran-US war. The second reason is the pricing. As prices have surged, due to shortages and transportation costs, they may not be allowed to sell at higher rates in Pakistan,” he said.

“So I can say that the French vaccine Vaxigrip and American vaccine Influvac will not be available to consumers this year. However, we are making efforts to ensure that the Chinese vaccine, Sinovac, will be made available in the next 10 days,” he said.

Asked about the discrepancy in the price of the Virionza vaccine and the barcode, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told Dawn that he would inquire about why the two were different.

He also said that the flu vaccine was available in the market but some prominent brands were not available.