Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 120.djvu/2881

 120 STAT. 2850

PUBLIC LAW 109–417—DEC. 19, 2006 serve health professional shortage areas or areas at risk of a public health emergency, as determined by the Secretary. ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection, such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2010.’’.

SEC. 204. VACCINE TRACKING AND DISTRIBUTION.

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 319A of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d–1) is amended to read as follows: ‘‘SEC. 319A. VACCINE TRACKING AND DISTRIBUTION.

‘‘(a) TRACKING.—The Secretary, together with relevant manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors as may agree to cooperate, may track the initial distribution of federally purchased influenza vaccine in an influenza pandemic. Such tracking information shall be used to inform Federal, State, local, and tribal decision makers during an influenza pandemic. ‘‘(b) DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary shall promote communication between State, local, and tribal public health officials and such manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors as agree to participate, regarding the effective distribution of seasonal influenza vaccine. Such communication shall include estimates of high priority populations, as determined by the Secretary, in State, local, and tribal jurisdictions in order to inform Federal, State, local, and tribal decision makers during vaccine shortages and supply disruptions. ‘‘(c) CONFIDENTIALITY.—The information submitted to the Secretary or its contractors, if any, under this section or under any other section of this Act related to vaccine distribution information shall remain confidential in accordance with the exception from the public disclosure of trade secrets, commercial or financial information, and information obtained from an individual that is privileged and confidential, as provided for in section 552(b)(4) of title 5, United States Code, and subject to the penalties and exceptions under sections 1832 and 1833 of title 18, United States Code, relating to the protection and theft of trade secrets, and subject to privacy protections that are consistent with the regulations promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. None of such information provided by a manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor shall be disclosed without its consent to another manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor, or shall be used in any manner to give a manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor a proprietary advantage. ‘‘(d) GUIDELINES.—The Secretary, in order to maintain the confidentiality of relevant information and ensure that none of the information contained in the systems involved may be used to provide proprietary advantage within the vaccine market, while allowing State, local, and tribal health officials access to such information to maximize the delivery and availability of vaccines to high priority populations, during times of influenza pandemics, vaccine shortages, and supply disruptions, in consultation with manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and State, local, and tribal health departments, shall develop guidelines for subsections (a) and (b).

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