Pharmacy owners have reported exhausted stocks of first-line flu vaccines following “strong patient demand” for the jab, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has revealed.
The body said today that it has received reports “from some pharmacy owners” that stock levels of IIVc (cell-cultured inactivated influenza vaccine) “are under particular pressure, with some reporting they have used all of their stock”.
It added that it has been informed that “no IIVc stock is now available to order from the manufacturer or wholesalers”.
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CPE said IIVc will have been “the main first-line vaccine” used in patients aged 18 to 49 during the first month of the seasonal vaccination programme.
And it said dwindling supplies have prompted pharmacy owners to ask about use of a second-line vaccine, such as IIVe (egg-cultured inactivated influenza vaccine).
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In response, the body pointed pharmacy owners to NHS England’s seasonal vaccination services specification, which sets out that if a recommended vaccine is not in stock, contractors should direct patients to an “alternative provider who has stock of a recommended vaccine” or tell them to rebook when stock is available.
But it acknowledged that “where no first-line stock is available locally, pharmacy owners can then offer patients administration of a second-line vaccine”, which for the 18 to 49 years patient cohort would be IIVe.
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“If pharmacy owners are considering use of a second-line flu vaccine, they should keep a record of actions taken to ascertain the local availability of first-line vaccine prior to offering patients second-line vaccines,” CPE added.
It comes after the UK Health Security Agency warned last month of wider supply delays of flu vaccines due to updates including extending eligibility for free NHS vaccines to people experiencing homelessness.
And it follows MPs visiting pharmacies last month to hear more about the sector’s “valuable role in delivering the NHS flu vaccination programme”.
