An executive at a Connecticut vaccine manufacturer said the Meriden company is scrapping expansion plans in the state after Gov. Dannel Malloy received a flu shot made by an overseas company.
The controvery was ignited when the governor posted a picture of his flu shot on Twitter along with the comment, "Vaccinations are important to protect the health of our communities."
The Record-Journal of Meriden reports that Dan Adams, executive chairman of Protein Sciences, the maker of Flublok vaccine, is halting negotiations to purchase a nearby property. The 100-employee company has a manufacturing facility in Pearl River, New York, but Flublok is made in Meriden.
Adams said it “really hurt us that the governor blew us off like that.”
Vaccinations are important to protect the health of our communities. Gov. Malloy received the flu vaccine today. pic.twitter.com/yy5Vq8MRkd
— Governor Dan Malloy (@GovMalloyOffice) February 6, 2015He released the following statement Friday afternoon:
"I am very passionate about our company and our vaccine, and that was reflected in my strong comments about the Governor and about state support for our company. Protein Sciences was founded in CT and has thrived here. We would like to continue to make CT our home, to expand, and to increase the highly skilled and well paying jobs that match up well with the strengths of the state's work force. We have an extremely innovative product in FLUBLOK ®, one that reflects the state's long history of innovation and invention. We are exactly the kind of company that can lead CT's new economy with a strong emphasis on biotech. With support from the Governor and other state officials we can continue our work here, otherwise we will have to examine options being presented by other states that would like Protein Sciences to expand operations or open up shop there.”
The governor's office responded by saying Malloy used the only vaccine offered at the West Hartford doctor's office where he received his flu shot.
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"Like other companies in the state, the governor appreciates the work Protein Sciences is doing," Mark Bergman, a spokesperson for the governor's office, said in a statement Friday.
