The Netherlands is left with about 17.5 million unused vaccines against swine flu (also known as Mexican flu). Outgoing Health Minister Ab Klink announced this in the House of Representatives.
Some of the over-ordered Dutch vaccines (257,000 doses) have been sold to Estonia, Lithuania, Macedonia, and Suriname. Klink is trying to sell more to other countries, though further sales seem unlikely.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was contracted for 9 million vaccines. They supplied 6 million, and after negotiations with Klink, the final 3 million were cancelled, saving 21 million euros.
Novartis delivered 25 million vaccines. Per agreement, unsold doses will be destroyed upon expiration. Klink intends to keep only 2.2 million in stock.
Amid the swine flu outbreak, the Netherlands ordered 34 million vaccines in June 2009, expecting a major pandemic. Ultimately, only 11 million were used for at-risk groups.
