sanofi_pasteur_scientist

MHRA approves Sanofi Pasteur MSD’s four-strain influenza vaccine for UK use

pharmafile | July 25, 2016 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing MHRA, Sanofi pasteur msd, UK, Vaccine, flu, influenza 

Sanofi Pasteur MSD has announced the approval of the latest addition to its family of influenza vaccines in the UK: the quadrivalent influenza vaccine (split virion, inactivated). The vaccine contains two A strains (A/H1N1 and A/H3N2) and two B strains (B/Victoria and B/Yamagata) of the influenza virus and is licensed to be used from 36 months of age.

The vaccine is a step forward beyond the trivalent influenza vaccines prevalent in the UK which only protect against a single B strain alongside two A strains, helping to tackle the emerging issue of the two distinct B-lineages of the virus co-circulating across the globe.

Throughout the 2015/2016 flu season in the UK, 94% of the reported 462 influenza B cases belonged to the B/Victoria lineage of the virus, which was not covered by trivalent vaccines recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The new quadrivalent vaccine can help diminish the effects of mismatched vaccines and disease-causing strains, leading to a broader protection against the virus.

The 2016 journal Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics has estimated that approximately 227,790 influenza cases could have been avoided in the UK over the past decade were quadrivalant vaccines utilised as opposed to trivalent ones.

Dr Alex Dos Santos, medical director at Sanofi Pasteur commented: “Quadrivalent influenza vaccines can help enable UK healthcare professionals to offer wider protection against both commonly circulating B strains. Prevention of influenza is a public health priority for the UK. We, at Sanofi Pasteur MSD are proud to continue supporting vaccination with the development of this new vaccine, which will be available for use for the 2017/18 flu season.”

Matt Fellows

Related Content

robina-weermeijer-ihfopazzjhm-unsplash_5

MHRA approves Takeda’s Hyqvia for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy treatment

Takeda has announced that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted marketing …

MHRA approves GSK’s Omjjara in Great Britain for splenomegaly treatment

GSK has announced that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted Marketing …

MHRA approves Mounjaro for diabetes and weight management

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has announced that it has approved a …

Latest content