Flu vaccine in Pakistan: Abbott and Sanofi shots missing, fake Influvac seized in Lahore

Anyone trying to get a flu vaccine in Pakistan this autumn is finding empty pharmacy shelves. Genuine influenza vaccines from all the major suppliers are currently unavailable, an official from the Office of the Chief Drug Controller Punjab said on Wednesday, and drug inspectors in Lahore have seized a large stock of what appears to be a counterfeit version of Influvac, a flu vaccine associated with Abbott. Two people were arrested, ProPakistani reported.

Which flu vaccines are missing

According to the Punjab drug control official quoted by ProPakistani:

• Abbott may not supply its flu vaccine to Pakistan at all this year.
• Sanofi may deliver only a limited quantity in late November or December.
• Sinovac and Shenzhen Innovax, the Chinese makers that usually fill the gap, supplied limited quantities and their stocks have also run out.

Lahore pharmacies told Minute Mirror on 23 October that the German and French vaccines that normally arrive in September never came, and that distributors' promise of a first-week-of-October shipment was not kept.

The price dispute behind it

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told Geo News on 23 October that there is no shortage as such: several brands are on the market, he said, and the problem is limited to multinational brands whose requested prices still await government approval. Geo reported that DRAP worked out a proposed price in December last year and sent it to the health ministry, and that the decision now sits with a cabinet sub-committee headed by the finance minister. One company refused to keep selling at the old price, the minister said, adding that its request "may well be justified".

Lahore store owners told Geo that a vaccine that sold for Rs 1,200 now costs Rs 1,640 where it can be found.

Why the fake vaccine matters

A flu shot that is fake, or genuine but stored warm, gives no protection and can be unsafe. The seized Lahore stock appeared to copy Influvac, which is exactly the brand people are hunting for.

What to do if you want a flu shot

1. Buy only from a licensed pharmacy or a hospital, never from a WhatsApp seller or a shop that cannot show a drug sale licence. Our directory lists pharmacies in Lahore and hospitals in Lahore.
2. Check the batch number and the maker's seal on the box, and ask for a printed receipt.
3. Ask how it was stored. The vaccine must be kept refrigerated (the cold chain) from the importer to the counter. A box handed to you from a shelf, not a fridge, is a warning sign.
4. Talk to your doctor about timing. Doctors usually advise older people and those with long-term illness to get the shot before the winter flu peak; if the Sanofi stock arrives in late November or December, a shot then still covers most of the season.
5. Pilgrims: Umrah travellers need a recorded flu shot; see our Umrah and Hajj vaccines story for how that is now arranged.

The Punjab drug control office has asked anyone offered a suspicious vaccine to report it to the local drug inspector.