US Agencies, Drugmakers Feud Over Vaccines Plan

Amid criticism of the Clinton Administration's Vaccines for Children plan, William Nichols of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has accused the General Accounting Office of exaggerating the difficulty the General Services Administration may have in shipping vaccines.

The GAO audit questions the GSA's ability to handle vaccine distribution as laid out in the plan, and some lawmakers want to delay the plan past its scheduled October 1 start date. The GAO and Senator Dale Bumpers, who requested the GAO audit, plus other leading critics Senator John Danforth and Representatives Scott Klug and Ron Wyden, feel the GSA's lack of handling experience could impair the vaccines' effectiveness. The GAO says the program has serious problems, is behind schedule and will probably not increase immunization levels. Earlier this year, drug companies and Congress had complained that the system being set up was more complicated and ambitious than the legislation called for.

Among the GAO's findings were that: