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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Nava

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/21/07

3/7/07 HB

SHORT TITLE Use of Safe and Efficient Vaccines

SB

SJM 25/aSPAC/aSFL#1

ANALYST Guambaña

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of SFL Amendment #1

The Senate Floor Amendment strikes language in the bill that commits the New Mexico State

Legislature to the goal of providing all recommended immunizations to 100% of the children of

New Mexico and brings the bill in closer alignment to the bill’s intent, which is ultimately to

encourage the use of efficient and safe vaccines for New Mexico children.

Synopsis of SPAC Amendment

The Senate Public Affairs Committee amendment makes a technical correction by striking

"clinical prevention initiative childhood immunization workgroup" and replaces with thereof

"mercury reduction task force".

Synopsis of Original Bill

Senate Joint Memorial 25 requests the continued commitment of the New Mexico Legislature to

the goal of providing all recommended immunizations to 100% of New Mexico’s children.

Senate Joint Memorial 25/aSPAC/aSFL#1 – Page

2

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

DOH states that preservative-free vaccine is packaged in single doses and costs $3.56 more per

dose than preservative-containing multi-dose vaccine. In FY 08, DOH will order 75,000 doses

of preservative-free influenza vaccine for children and 20,000 doses of preservative-free

influenza vaccine for adults. The increase in cost to DOH to preferentially purchase the

preservative-free vaccine will be $338,200

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

DOH states that Senate Joint Memorial requests that:

•

The efforts of the DOH and others are supported in their commitment to increasing

immunization rates with preference to vaccines with no more than a trace amount of

mercury;

•

DOH policy to purchase preferentially thimerosal-free or low-thimerosal vaccines for use

with pregnant women and young children are supported;

•

The Secretary of Health be directed to introduce a resolution to the Association of State

and Territorial Health Officers that calls for vaccine manufacturers to move toward

producing vaccines with no mercury preservative;

•

Copies of this memorial be transmitted to the New Mexico Congressional Delegation and

to the governor.

Senate Joint Memorial 25 asserts that:

•

The New Mexico Legislature is committed to protecting the health of New Mexico's

children and finds that effective and safe vaccines are essential to meet this goal;

•

The Clinical Prevention Initiative Immunization Workgroup, DOH, and the New Mexico

Medical Society has concluded that the influenza vaccine currently in use is safe and

effective for use in children, but also that it is important to reduce children's exposure to

mercury whenever possible;

•

This reduction in the mercury content of vaccines has already occurred for all other

routine childhood vaccines, including the influenza vaccine for children younger than

three years of age; and

•

Establishing a preference for influenza vaccine that is thimerosal-free or contains only

trace amounts of thimerosal for pregnant women and children younger than eight years of

age follows the national precedent established when thimerosal was removed or reduced

from all other childhood vaccines.

•

The memorial also requests that the New Mexico Legislature recognize and support the

efforts of DOH, the New Mexico Medical society, the New Mexico Pediatric Society, the

New Mexico Immunization Coalition and other health care providers and organizations

that serve to increase immunization among persons who are recommended to receive

influenza immunization, using all licensed vaccines, with preference given to vaccines

containing no more than trace amounts of mercury.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

Per DOH, this memorial relates to their FY 08 Strategic Plan in the area of Public Health specific

to increasing immunizations for children and adolescents. Additionally the memorial relates to

the Department’s performance measures related to the percent of preschoolers fully immunized,

Senate Joint Memorial 25/aSPAC/aSFL#1 – Page

3

the percent of adolescents fully immunized and the national ranking of New Mexico children

who are fully immunized

.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

Per DOH, many physicians and immunization advocates fear that passing legislation that

restricts the use of thimerosal-preserved vaccines may give the misleading message that vaccines

containing thimerosal-based preservatives are not safe. This may result in people not getting

influenza and other vaccines that could protect their health. Current influenza vaccines that are

thimerosal-free cost more, which could reduce the number of vaccines that the state and private

providers can buy and administer.

AG/mt