Dec 1 (Reuters) - Italy's pharmaceutical watchdog AIFAsaid on Monday that tests on an anti-flu vaccine that itsuspended last week over health concerns had shown the drug wassafe.
AIFA on Thursday suspended two batches of the FLUAD vaccinemade by Switzerland's Novartis, saying three deathspotentially connected to the drug had been reported.
The suspension sparked widespread alarm in Italy, and 16more deaths have been reported among people who had used thevaccine. However experts expressed scepticism that the deathswere linked to the drug and health authorities urged people tocontinue to vaccinate themselves.
"The results of the tests confirm the safety of the anti-fluvaccine," AIFA said in a joint statement issued with the healthministry. The tests on the suspended batches were "completelynegative".
It said reports of deaths linked to the vaccine presented bydoctors or relatives should therefore be attributed to theheightened media attention on the issue, not to the drug.
The statement noted that around 8,000 Italians die of fluevery year and it urged people not to stop vaccinating,especially those over the age of 65.
Novartis said last week that more than 7 million doses ofFLUAD had been distributed this year worldwide and no unusualfrequency of adverse effects had been reported.
AIFA did not indicate whether it now planned to release thetwo batches of FLUAD it had suspended. (Reporting by Gavin Jones; Editing by Pravin Char)
AIFA on Thursday suspended two batches of the FLUAD vaccinemade by Switzerland's Novartis, saying three deathspotentially connected to the drug had been reported.
The suspension sparked widespread alarm in Italy, and 16more deaths have been reported among people who had used thevaccine. However experts expressed scepticism that the deathswere linked to the drug and health authorities urged people tocontinue to vaccinate themselves.
"The results of the tests confirm the safety of the anti-fluvaccine," AIFA said in a joint statement issued with the healthministry. The tests on the suspended batches were "completelynegative".
It said reports of deaths linked to the vaccine presented bydoctors or relatives should therefore be attributed to theheightened media attention on the issue, not to the drug.
The statement noted that around 8,000 Italians die of fluevery year and it urged people not to stop vaccinating,especially those over the age of 65.
Novartis said last week that more than 7 million doses ofFLUAD had been distributed this year worldwide and no unusualfrequency of adverse effects had been reported.
AIFA did not indicate whether it now planned to release thetwo batches of FLUAD it had suspended. (Reporting by Gavin Jones; Editing by Pravin Char)
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