Further, Chiron was founded in 1981 by three people - William Rutter, who was Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at UCSF, Edward Penhoet, who was Professor of Biochemistry at UC Berkeley and Pablo Valenzuela, who was a senior postdoc in Rutter's lab.

Since 1981, Chiron has acquired a number of pharmaceutical companies in the US and the UK, consolidated with prestigious European vaccines businesses Behring(Germany) and Sclavo (Italy) and partnered with Novartis AG of Switzerland and Johnson & Johnson.

Closer to home, the Victoria Clipper is running special sailings from the Seattle area to Victoria, where for $30, Americans are lining up to be vaccinated with Canadian vaccine in a clinic set up at the Canadian ferry terminal.

This now has my 84 year old mother upset, because she has not yet been able to get her flu shot this year, as her physician has not received his supply of vaccine to date. She thought perhaps she would have more luck if she went down to the ferry and stood in line with the Americans.