Flu vaccine war: Chemists accused of delivering weaker jab

A war has broken out between chemists and doctors, who say elderly Australians are being given an ineffective flu jab.

Exclusive: Chemists are giving elderly Australians the wrong flu vaccine, one that won’t work as effectively, instead of referring them to their GP for a stronger version.

A war has broken out between chemists and doctors over the issue.

Adelaide GP Dr Pam Rachootin raised the alarm after noticing many of her patients were refusing her offer of a free flu shot because they had already had it at their chemist.

“Of course it was the wrong vaccine, not specially formulated for flagging immune systems. I was disappointed,” she writes in industry newsletter Medical Observer.

Alarmed, she sent her 73-year-old husband to five chemists to see whether they would refer him to his GP for the right flu shot.

“Not one pharmacy inquired about his age or directed him to get his influenza vaccine at his GP if he were over 65,” she said.

“One is left to wonder whether the pharmacy business model accommodates ethics.”

As people age their immune system degenerates and they don’t respond as well to the usual flu vaccine.

This means older people need a special higher dose flu vaccine with an adjuvant that boosts their immune response.

The Australian Government has paid for a special stronger flu vaccine for older people to be delivered free by their GP.

In NSW, Queensland, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania this vaccine is not available in chemists.

Chemists and doctors are at war over flu vaccinations. Picture Getty Images

Australian Medical Association vice president Dr Chris Moy said the issues raised serious conflict of interest concerns about the way chemists were delivering health care.

“It certainly raises the question about whether older people are being informed they are being given the less preferred vaccine,” he told News Corp.

“This is a conflict of interest issue and the management of it is different in pharmacies because they are selling something whereas doctors don’t sell stuff for monetary gain,” he said.

He said it was time for chemists to provide proper informed consent to elderly people and show they had done this by documenting it.

Pharmacy Guild national president Trent Twomey said at present only community pharmacies in Victoria, the ACT and WA had access to the stronger over-65 vaccine under the National Immunisation Plan.

“The inconsistency between states and territories over NIP vaccines needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency,” he said.

“Quite simply community pharmacies in all states and territories need to be included under the National Immunisation Program, and this will mean patients over the age of 65 will be able to receive the over 65 vaccine in all jurisdictions,” he said.

In states where pharmacies cannot deliver the stronger vaccine they counsel over-65 year old patients about their available vaccine options, he said.

“Many choose to have the under-65 vaccine because they cannot make an appointment to see their GP,” he told News Corp.

Australians are being urged to get their flu vaccinations now to protect themselves for the upcoming peak flu season in winter.

People eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine must carefully co-ordinate that jab with their flu shot.

Experts are advising people leave a two week gap between their flu shot and their COVID-19 vaccine.

Community pharmacies have already provided more than 250,000 flu vaccinations this year, and this follows more than 3 million last year.

Australia’s flu season was almost non-existent last year as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns, social distancing and because millions more Australians than usual had the flu vaccine.