An October 17 article in the (Sioux Falls) Argus Leader by Kevin Dobbs quoted an article by ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan:
Last year, nearly all of the 87 million doses produced were used. But the year before, millions of doses were discarded, erasing profit margins. Because flu strains change every year, doses cannot be saved for the next season. And because most flu vaccines are made using chicken eggs, they have to be made far in advance, requiring major upfront investment. But manufacturers' only way to gauge demand is a loose estimate that the CDC gives them.
Vaccine production also involves a costly process of complying with federal regulations.
"Simply put, would-be flu vaccine makers...see very few incentives which would entice them into the arduous process of flu vaccine development," Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, president of the American Council on Science and Health in New York, wrote in the Wall Street Journal.