Deal secured for pre-pandemic vaccine for UK

Agreements have been signed between the UK government and vaccine manufacturers to secure supplies of up to 90 million doses of  pre-pandemic H1N1 vaccine before a pandemic begins, the Department of  Health announced on May 15.

The deals signed between Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, UK  drug giant GlaxoSmithKline and US firm Baxter, will enable production of  pre-pandemic vaccine to begin as soon as possible, the DoH notes.

The agreements could provide enough vaccine to protect the most  vulnerable in the population before a pandemic is likely to arrive,  without affecting the nation's supply of seasonal influenza vaccine.