UPDATE: How much did governments spend on Swine Flu vaccines and drugs?

According to Kalorama Information (which will sell you their research compilation for $1200):

Makers of H1N1 vaccines reported sales of $3.3 billion in 2009, according to company reports reviewed for its title, "H1N1 'Swine Flu' Vaccine Market Review." Kalorama believes the contracting, production and distribution of this vaccine will be a model for future pandemic vaccines.

UPDATE:  Switzerland's Roche Group saw sales of its Tamiflu antiviral medication jump by 2 billion Swiss francs ($1.74 billion) last year.

Remember, these figures are for 2009 only. 

Glaxo reported expectations for H1N1 vaccine sales in 2010 to be 883 million pounds (1.3 billion dollars), about equal to what they made in 2009.  Glaxo is one of 5 companies that sold vaccine to the US Government, but Glaxo sold comparatively little in the US.  Yet total sales worldwide for Glaxo H1N1 vaccines are expected to reach 2.6 billion dollars.   Throw in the other manufacturers and you may be looking at about 10 billion dollars worldwide just to purchase swine flu vaccines.  And probably a couple billion more for antiviral drugs.

Here are amounts for vaccines orders made by DHHS in May, July and September 2009 (and they may be incomplete):

Orders for Bulk Supply of H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Antigen and Adjuvant: May 22, 2009

Manufacturer	Bulk Vaccine Antigen	Oil-In-Water Bulk Adjuvant
Novartis	$150 million	$139 million
GlaxoSmithKline	$ 38 million	$144 million
Sanofi Pasteur	$191 million
CSL Biotherapies	$180 million
MedImmune	$ 90 million
Total	$649 million	$283 million

Orders for Bulk Supply of H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Antigen and Adjuvant: July 9, 2009

Manufacturer	Bulk Vaccine Antigen	Bulk Virus Concentrate/FFF	Oil-In-Water Bulk Adjuvant
Sanofi Pasteur	$61,425,000	0	0
GSK	$0	0	$71,400,000
Novartis	$346,334,450	0	$343,810,470
CSL	$0	0	0
MedImmune	$0	$61,008,000	0
Total	$407,759,450	$61,008,000	$415,210,470

HHS orders an additional 56 million doses of vaccine: September 21, 2009

Manufacturer	Total Cost
MedImmune	$295,660,000
Sanofi Pasteur	$143,483,025
Total	$438,143,025

According to Congressional testimony by CDC's Anne Schuchat, M.D. on November 18, 2009:

In fact, 2009 H1N1 vaccination began in early October—just 5 months after the emergence of 2009 H1N1 influenza. Critical support from Congress resulted in $1.44 billion for states and hospitals to support planning, preparation, and implementation efforts.

According to these official numbers, issued through November 2009, the USA spent 2.254 billion dollars on vaccine antigens, attenuated live vaccine and adjuvants, plus 1.44 billion for state and hospital planning, for a total of 3.694 billion dollars spent on swine flu vaccine preparation.   This may not cover all costs of administration, nor all vaccine costs.   The novel adjuvants were not used.

The total omits costs for antiviral drug purchases. The average wholesale price for a course of Tamiflu is $53.00.  Dr. Schuchat noted in her testimony that the US government released 11.534 million doses of Tamiflu for US distribution.  The estimated Tamiflu cost would be $611 million dollars, if $53/ course was spent.  The government had already stockpiled millions of doses of Tamiflu for a possible bird flu epidemic, so it is uncertain how much was spent specifically for swine flu,   (Smaller amounts of zanamivir and peramivir were also used, but I have no figures for those costs.)  Add the Tamiflu cost to the vaccine costs and you get $4.3 billion spent for the swine flu response in the US alone.  [Back of the envelope calculation:  $14/ US citizen, or one to several million dollars for each life saved.--Nass]

UPDATE:  From Agence France Presse: "In France, for instance, the purchase of 94 million vaccines cost the state around 600 million euros [over 750 million dollars], but only less than 10 percent of the population went to get vaccinated."

UPDATE:  In Canada, "there have been 428 deaths and 8,678 hospitalizations due to influenza A/H1N1. The response has cost more than $2-billion."  [This equates to $57/Canadian... and if the US spent an equivalent amount for each of its 307 million people (vs. 35 million Canadians), the US cost for swine flu would be about 17.5 billion dollars.]

Clearly, worldwide spending for H1N1 swine flu vaccine, vaccine administration and antiviral drug costs will amount to much more than the 4 billion dollars recently claimed by an American delegation to a WHO swine flu meeting.