Reply #11: basically, cause there's no money in it [View All]

[northzax]

Two years ago, Wyeth, the third producer, quit the business, they had lost money on the vaccine for three straight yeras. Why would they continue?

making a live virus vaccine isn't that easy, and there is no profit in it (people are used to paying like, five bucks a shot?)

second, lvie virus vaccines are grown in chicken eggs (really) it is a laborious process not much improved in twenty years (again, no money in it) there is only one plany in the US capable of producing mass quantities of live virus flu vaccine. In about four or five years, technology will come on line (we hope) to provide for the production of live virus vaccines in cells. Why invesy in the old Egg technology when it will be obsolete in half a decade?