US hospitals are being solicited by secondary pharmaceutical distributors offering flu vaccine at highly inflated prices, according to a new survey of hospital pharmacy directors.

Not only does this hinder hospitals’ ability to provide vaccine to patients who need it the most, it heightens the chances that a counterfeit vaccine may appear on the market, according to a report from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

Dr. Kasey K. Thompson, Director of the ASHP Practice Standards and Quality Division, conducted the survey, which was e-mailed to 2561 pharmacy directors on October8. A total of 677 completed the on-line survey.

The results showed that 55 percent of pharmacy directors had been contacted by a vendor offering vaccine.

Fifty percent were offered the vaccine at prices ranging from $300 to $799, and close to 20 percent received price offers of $800 or more. This represents a 4- to 10-fold increase ion the usual price.

As a result, most of the 77 percent of hospitals that do not have enough vaccine to meet current CDC recommendations do not plan to make any further purchases.

“The purported price gouging that is occurring is really sickening in light of a public health crisis like this,” Thompson said in an interview with Reuters Health.

“Our hope is that state attorneys general around the country look carefully at their states’ statutes and go after these secondary distributors who are selling vaccine at 4 to 10 times the market price.”

Thompson added, “It’s environments like these that could be attractive to counterfeiters.” Health care providers should therefore be “very vigilant” and “make sure they know the company they purchase from - whether it’s a secondary wholesaler they’ve worked with in the past and trust or their prime vendor.”

He also advises pharmacy directors to closely inspect vaccines for irregularities in labeling or altered appearance, and to remind patients to contact their health care providers if they experience unexpected side effects, such as fever or pain at the injection site.