While this August 2, 2010 presser from Whitehouse Station -- announcing (H/T Ed, at Pharmalot) renewed availability of its full panoply of childrens' vaccines -- is decidedly good news, it does remind us that the Recombivax HB® Hep B vaccine (for adults) is not expected to be available until some time in 2011. Per Ed:
. . . .However, Merck continues to have difficulties with some of its adult vaccines. As previously noted, the adult version of Recombivax HB® will not be available at all this year, after the drugmaker had hope to restore supplies by mid-2010. . . . And orders placed for the Zostavax® shingles vaccine after mid-May won’t be filled until November or December. . . .
Yes, making vaccines is a complicated endeavor -- still, I continue to wonder whether Merck actually intends to exit this particular low-margin, very mature Hep B vaccine space -- leaving it to GSK. We'll see.
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