- After three people died shortly after receiving Novartis' (NYSE:NVS) Fluad influenza vaccine, Italy's drug regulator AIFA suspends two lots of the product. In an e-mailed statement, Novartis says, "A review of the two batches confirmed that they conform with all production and quality standards and no casual relationship to the vaccine have been established."
- Fluad was approved in 1997 and has an extensive history of safe use.
- The three deaths, and another serious adverse event, all occurred in the southern regions of Sicily and Molise. One of the deaths was a 68-year-old man who died ten minutes after being vaccinated.