Flu vaccines withdrawn in alert over side-effects

The Preflucel vaccine, used to treat patients with severe allergies to eggs, was recalled across the continent following reports the vaccine was causing a higher than normal frequency of adverse reactions.

Patients treated with the drug have reported suffering muscle pain, fatigue and headaches.

The Scottish Government said there was no risk to public health as a result of the decision to recall the vaccine and confirmed alternatives were available for people with allergies.

Normal flu vaccines are cultivated in eggs, and Preflucel had been developed by Berkshire-based Baxter Healthcare to treat people with an egg allergy.

A spokesman for health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “We are aware of this voluntary recall of Preflucel and have alerted the NHS in Scotland. There is no health risk.”

She went on: “The vaccine is only for people who have a very severe egg allergy and also have a long-term condition such as heart disease. Only around 2,000 doses of this specific vaccine have been made available to the NHS in Scotland, and this recall does not affect the flu vaccination programme, for which over 1.1 million doses of other flu vaccines have been ordered.”

She said the concerns about Preflucel had first surfaced in Germany where patients had reported side-effects, including headaches and nausea. “These are side-effects you would normally get with a flu vaccine, but in Germany, they found that more people were reporting these mild side-effects than is usual with the flu vaccine.

“We are not aware of any side-effects having been reported in Scotland. And there is absolutely no risk at all to health.

“Individuals who have been vaccinated with Preflucel should not be concerned – most of the side-effects are those usually associated with flu vaccines. They have started shortly after the vaccination and have been mild and short-lived.

“The vaccine is being recalled because these side-effects have been reported more frequently with this specific batch. Individuals with severe egg allergies can continue to be vaccinated safely with low egg-content vaccines, which are available.”

Sir Harry Burns, Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, sought to reassure the public. He said: “It’s a very tiny of proportion of the amount of vaccine we’ve got. We’ve got 1.1 million doses of flu vaccine for the Scottish population and only about 2,000 of this particular type of vaccine.

“The vast majority of people who need flu vaccine will continue to get it as usual.”

A spokeswoman for Baxter Healthcare said: “Baxter is working with its customers to co- ordinate the return of the affected doses and endeavouring to try to provide replacement doses where possible. If patients have any concerns, they should contact their GP.”