Federal agents seized 8,000 smuggled doses of flu vaccine at Kennedy Airport in New York, federal officials announced late last week. The vaccines were made in France and not approved for U.S. use.
Officials at Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point, NJ, tipped off authorities about the illegal medicine after being approached by a “suspicious” “business entity,” authorities said. None of the vaccines made it into the provider pipeline as a result of Shore Memorial’s actions, U.S. Immigrant and Customs Enforcement officials said.
“Err on the side of caution. If it just doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t,” said Department of Homeland Security Spokesman Marc Raimondi. An investigation into the confiscated vaccines is ongoing, he added. He said providers who are contacted by anyone outsides their normal group of supply chain providers should call his department at (866) 347-2423.
