2001
During the 2001 flu season, the 74 million flu shots available were inadequate. In May, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO, now the Government Accountability Office) supplied a report, "Flu Vaccine; Supply Problems Heighten Need to Ensure Access for High-Risk People," stating that delays in flu vaccine over 2000-01 showed that "The government and the pharmaceutical industry are unprepared for a flu pandemic or vaccine shortages" and that, in the event of shortages, "Currently, there is no system to ensure that high-risk people have priority when the supply of vaccine is short."
In November, the Council of the Institutes of Medicine called for creation of a national Vaccine Authority to coordinate action to deal with unreliable vaccine supplies, and pending crises.
By the end of the year, Monarch, a significant vaccine producer, announced it was exiting the industry. This followed the 2000 exit by Pfizer, the giant drug-maker, and by 2003, both Wyeth and Merck had exited the injectable-flu-vaccine industry, leaving only two companies remaining.
The Bush Administration did nothing!