Illustration: Visual Photos
צילום: ויז'ואל/פוטוס
French drug firm sends experts to probe Israel deaths
Sanofi-Aventis to try and find out more about people who died after receiving flu vaccination shots manufactured by firm; company says has 'full confidence' in its products
French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis said Monday that it was sending experts to Israel to study the deaths of four people who had recently received flu shots.
Israel's Health Ministry halted the administration of flu vaccines Sunday and was investigating whether the deaths were connected to the vaccines.
Sanofi-Aventis said its team in Israel would try to find out more about the people who died. The four people, who were elderly and suffered from chronic illnesses, had received flu shots up to six days before their deaths, company spokesman Alain Bernal said.
Bernal said the vaccine had passed numerous safety checks, both in France and Israel, and that 140,000 people had received the shot in Israel alone.
"We are taking this seriously, we are studying it seriously, but we have total confidence in the quality of our product," Bernal said. "This is a vaccine that saves thousands of lives every year."
The vaccines were distributed by the Israeli company Medici.
Israel's Channel 10 TV reported Sunday from a Health Ministry briefing that it was very unlikely the deaths were related directly to the vaccine, and flu shots might be resumed as early as Monday.
