Sole supply of influenza vaccine: economic common sense or a disaster waiting to happen?

The interruption to the New Zealand influenza vaccine supply in 2005 (caused by a manufacturing error) greatly disrupted the annual influenza vaccination programme. The sole-tendering process used by PHARMAC was blamed by some for the crisis, which may have been alleviated by having more than one supplier. In this article, the author discusses the issues resulting from having limited options of vaccine supply. Supply problems are not limited to influenza vaccine but the tight timelines required for vaccine delivery may make it wise to secure two suppliers in future. Like all health insurance, the cost of supply redundancy will be appreciable.