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KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The Ministry of Health (MINSA) has advised the country’s doctors to temporarily stop using two influenza vaccines, SKYCellflu Quadrivalent and Vaxigrip Tetra, following reports of death cases related to the two products in South Korea.
Senior Director of Pharmaceutical Services Datin Dr Faridah Aryani Md Yusof said the action was being taken as a precaution.
“The Ministry of Health takes note of the Ministry of Health Circular No. 214/2020 issued by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), Singapore on October 25, entitled ‘Temporary cessation of the use of two influenza vaccines’ .
“There are nine influenza vaccine products registered with the National Drug Regulatory Agency (NPRA), including the two influenza vaccine products related to death cases in South Korea,” it said in a statement on Wednesday (28 October).
However, according to Dr. Faridah Aryani, only Vaxigrip Tetra, suspension for injection in a pre-filled syringe, is provided at the ministry’s health centers.
He said that Vaxigrip Tetra’s maker, Sanofi Pasteur, had also reported that the batch number of products used in South Korea is not available in other markets, including Malaysia.
“So far, no deaths have been reported in the country with respect to (quadrivalent) influenza vaccines,” he said.
Dr Faridah Aryani said that the Ministry of Health also had quality control programs in place and practiced pharmacovigilance to ensure the quality, safety and efficacy of drugs.
She said the ministry will update the public on the situation as more information becomes available. – Bernama
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