A Hudson Valley congresswoman says the government shutdown is affecting a Rockland County vaccine developer. This comes as the U.S. faces default Thursday unless it raises the debt ceiling.
Democratic Congresswoman Nita Lowey says Pearl River-based Protein Sciences is facing a delay in FDA approval for flu vaccine thanks to the government shutdown. Lowey is scheduled to appear at the biotechnology company at noon Monday to stand alongside employees and talk about how the shutdown is hurting the company. She says Protein Sciences, a vaccine developer, faces a delay in securing approval for its vaccine Flublok for use by residents 50 and older. Lowey, the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, says the longer the Republican shutdown continues, the greater the chance that the vaccine may not be available for next year’s flu season. The shutdown began October 1, corresponding with the beginning of Affordable Care Act enrollment.
