Poll: Drug Firms Are Cause for Flu Shot Shortage

Drug companies are sharing the blame for a shortage of swine flu vaccine in the U.S.

While Americans are still ticked off at the government (58 percent), slightly more (62 percent) say the pharmaceutical companies are to blame, a USA Today/Gallup Poll shows. What's more, only 5 percent of those surveyed received the vaccine, which the feds started handing out to communities last month.

Of course, drug companies should share the blame. Production problems have put the government way behind in getting the shots distributed to public health officials around the country. The vaccine approved for the U.S. is made by three big European companies, AstraZeneca Plc, Novartis AG, and Sanofi-Aventis SA, and by Australia's CSL Ltd.

There were 38 million doses of swine flu vaccine available as of Friday, and another 8 million are expected to be ready this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. The feds initially estimated they'd have 120 million doses available by mid-October. (Doh!) Now, the goal is to distribute 150 million by December.

According to the poll, 17 percent of adults tried to get vaccinated and failed, while 19 percent said they didn't try because they didn't think the shots would be available. Meanwhile, 30 percent said they didn't think they needed a shot, and 17 percent said they were fearful that the vaccine was harmful.