Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 12, 1994 TAG: 9411140061
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
California and federal officials report that the Department of Defense has bought up most of the available supplies of immune globulin, leaving the cupboard virtually bare for civilians.
The injection is given to people headed to developing countries or to those exposed to Hepatitis A.
Dr. Darryl See of the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center said the center usually has 100 doses on hand but is down to none - as are many area health-care providers.
St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, Calif., has 10 doses, but the hospital's supplier said there is no more available, pharmacist Don Miller said.
``It's out,'' Miller said. ``It's definitely not available.''
Tehama County in Northern California has asked for assistance finding 150 doses to protect residents against a restaurant exposure to Hepatitis A, said Scott Lewis, California Department of Health Services spokesman.
Missouri officials recently asked for federal assistance finding 10,000 doses for a similar exposure there.
The current shortage ``is moderate and hopefully temporary,'' said Dr. Loring Dales, chief of California's state immunization branch.
Only Armour Pharmaceuticals of Pennsylvania makes significant amounts of immune globulin, and ``most of Armour's [supply] was bought up by the Department of Defense this summer for the Persian Gulf and Haiti,'' Dales said.
Pat Miller, spokeswoman at the Department of Defense office that orders medical supplies for the armed services, said she was not aware the department's large orders were causing a problem.
Agencies out of the antibody generally have been able to find some by calling around, officials said. Dales doubts the shortage will worsen and predicts supplies will get back to normal in a few months.
by CNB