Price gouging reported in flu shots

Reports of price gouging for flu shots surfaced Friday in Kansas, just days after federal officials announced there would be a severe national shortage of the influenza vaccine.

Sen. Pat Roberts said his office had received calls from Kansans complaining about spikes in the cost of flu vaccines as soon as the shortage was announced.

“I was disturbed to hear from a Kansan seeking to provide the flu vaccine to residents of a nursing home that the distributor tripled the cost of the vaccine in a matter of a few hours,” said Roberts, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Concerns about gouging began Tuesday when British regulators unexpectedly shut down Chiron Corp., a major flu-shot supplier. The decision stunned U.S. officials, who now warn that about 48 million Americans who ordinarily would receive a flu shot will go without protection. Now health officials are trying to ration the flu shots, asking healthy people to let the vaccine go to those who need it more.

Neither Roberts nor other officials said what they could do about inflated prices being charged for the vaccines by distributors or doctors.

Roberts’ office is recommending that people contact the Kansas Attorney General’s Office to report cases of price gouging. Call (800) 432-2310 to file a compliant with the attorney general’s consumer protection division.

Kansas Atty. Gen. Phil Kline’s office received no reports of price gouging Thursday and said no information was available on such cases Friday afternoon, said spokesman Jan Lunsford.

Roberts said price-gouging complaints taken by his office were being passed along to the CDC, which plans to set up its own toll-free number for people to call with price-gouging reports.

Roberts also sent letters to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, the federal Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission.

To report price gouging, call the attorney general’s consumer protection division at (800) 432-2310.

Across the country, there were reports of vendors offering pharmacists flu vaccine for as much as 10 times the usual amount. In one case, a vendor had sought $700 for a vial of 10 doses that usually would cost $67.

“It’s immoral for anyone to engage in this type of activity,” said HHS spokesman Tony Jewell. “We are asking people to pull together and make sure the people who need the vaccine the most get it. We’re asking people to do the right thing.”

Similar situations have occurred in recent years because of vaccine shortages, Roberts said. In 2001, federal officials reported that distributors and others who had supplies of the flu vaccine during the 2000-2001 flu season sold their supplies to the highest bidders rather than filling lower-priced orders they had already received.

In the current shortage, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is working with partners at the federal, state and local levels to ensure people at high risk receive a vaccination.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department will conduct a flu clinic for high-risk people Oct. 23 at Free State High School, 4700 Overland Drive.

People in the high-priority group include:

  • All children aged 6-23 months.
  • Adults 65 years and older.
  • People 2-64 with underlying chronic medical conditions.
  • All women who will be pregnant during influenza season.
  • Residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
  • Children 6 months to 18 years of age on chronic aspirin therapy.
  • Health care workers with direct patient care.
  • Out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of children 6 months and younger.