Serbia to stop importing swine flu vaccines because of lack of demand

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Serbia to stop import of swine flu vaccines

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia’s health officials say they will stop the purchase of swine flu vaccines from a Swiss pharmaceutical company because of the lack of demand.

Serbia last year ordered three million dozes of the vaccine from Novartis AG worth an estimated euro24 million ($35 million).

Health officials said Wednesday that so far Serbia has received and paid about 850,000 dozes with which only some 135,000 people — or about two percent of the population — were vaccinated.

Director of the state health insurance company Svetlana Vukajlovic says the Serbian importer of the vaccines will be told to stop the further purchase.

The health ministry has recorded about 670 swine flu cases in Serbia and 68 deaths.