Sanofi announces first shipment of 2009 flu vaccine

SWIFTWATER, Pa. & LYON, France Sanofi-Aventis vaccine division Sanofi Pasteur has shipped 1.3 million doses of the influenza vaccine Fluzone to the United States, the company announced Friday.

The vaccines, destined for the Vaccines for Children Program, were shipped to health-care providers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Introduction of three new strains for the influenza vaccine was unprecendented and could have resulted in a low yield or delay given our tight production timeline,” Sanofi Pasteur President and chief executive officer Wayne Pisano said. “The early shipment of Fluzone vaccine by Sanofi Pasteur gives health-care providers greater flexibility in planning their vaccination efforts.”