Dec. 18, 2007 – 9:28 p.m.
Government scientists working to prevent a flu pandemic in the United States say a lack of funding this year could jeopardize the program and the public’s health.
Robin Robinson, deputy director of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority told the inaugural meeting of the National Biodefense Science Board Tuesday that the decision by congressional appropriators not to fund the president’s budget request for a second consecutive year could deal his agency a serious setback just when it was about to see big results.
President Bush requested $870 million for medical countermeasures that would fund vaccine-enhancing substances called adjuvants, which increase the number of available doses by a factor of 12, new techniques for creating vaccines that use cells rather than chicken eggs, and increases in infrastructure needed to house vast increases in the nation’s antiviral stockpiles.
“We are less prepared,” Robinson said.
The agency has built up a $1.2 billion surplus as drug manufacturers fulfilled the government’s contracts for vaccines more slowly than expected.
Robinson said that while money had accumulated, it was set aside for future contracts that helped establish agency goals, such as increasing the number of available doses and expanding the size of the stockpile’s infrastructure.
The loss of funding would force the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to reprioritize its immediate plans — including its goal of building a 28 million-dose stockpile — and reassess its timeline for achieving long-term goals.
Those goals included moving to a new phase in development for next-generation recombinant vaccines. Current projections provided by HHS show the number of available vaccine doses will degrade over time if they are not replaced. The number of adjuvant doses, for example, goes from 5.9 million in 2008 to 600,000 in 2011.
“That program is now in serious danger,” Robinson said.
And there is a broader concern as well, said John Parker, senior vice president of Scientific Applications International Corp. and a member of the biodefense board, which was created to advise HHS on the efficacy of its preparedness measures. Another year of cuts could cause the pharmaceutical industry to lose confidence in the ability of HHS to form partnerships. The agency relies on private industry to provide expertise and absorb the expense and risk of developing new, costly drugs.
Industry cooperation depends on the upfront commitment of the administration and Congress to fund programs consistently, Parker said. “That upfront commitment is in jeopardy.”
Meanwhile, Trust for America’s Health, a nonprofit public-health watchdog group, released its annual public health report Tuesday. The report found that while public health preparedness has shown substantial improvement nationally, a number of states are lagging behind.
Among the key findings:
• Thirteen states do not have adequate plans to distribute emergency vaccines, antidotes, and medical supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile.
• Twelve states do not have a disease surveillance system compatible with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national electronic system.
• Seven states have not purchased any portion of their federally subsidized or unsubsidized antivirals to use during a pandemic flu.
• Seven states and the District of Columbia lack sufficient capabilities to test for biological threats.
The group ranked Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia highest in public health preparedness, giving those states a perfect 10 on 10 critical preparedness measures. Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Nevada, Wisconsin and Wyoming scored lowest with six out of 10.
“The improvements in state preparedness are encouraging, but the job of preparing the United States for major health emergencies is not nearly done,” said the group’s executive director, Jeff Levi in a news release. “And just when we are beginning to see a return on the federal investment in preparedness programs, the president and Congress have continued to cut these funds.”
In addition, the report found that key programs at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, such as the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, were inadequately funded and that programs lacked transparency and accountability.
The National Association of County and City Health Officials said it shared the group’s concerns that the failure of the federal government to sustain public health funding has jeopardized progress.
“NACCHO urges Congress and the administration to recognize that sustained federal funding and consistent federal expectations are essential to prepare the nation for public health emergencies,” the group said in a news release. “Diseases recognize neither state nor local boundaries and every link in the local, state and federal chain of protection must be strong.”
Matt Korade can be reached at mkorade@cq.com.