AstraZeneca has announced that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has voted to recommend the use of FluMist Quadrivalent intranasal live Influenza vaccine for the 2018-19 flu season based on positive results of a new study in children aged 2-4 years old.
FluMist Quadrivalent was approved by the FDA in 2012. In 2014, ACIP recommended the use of FluMist Quadrivalent instead of injection for children, but in 2016, ACIP recommended against the use of FluMist Quadrivalent for the 2016-17 flu season after data from 2015-16 showed only minimal effectiveness. The committee again recommended against use of the vaccine for 2017-18.
AstraZeneca VP, US Medical Affairs, Gregory Keenan commented, “This study validates the improvements we’ve made to our strain selection process and confirms an improved H1N1 LAIV strain was included in the 2017-2018 formulation. We are pleased that the ACIP has voted in support of a renewed recommendation for FluMist Quadrivalent in the US and look forward to continuing to work with public health authorities to optimize protection against influenza.”
The company said that limited amounts of FluMIst Quadrivalent are available for the current flu season, and the vaccine is expected to be available for the 2018-19 season.
Read the AstraZeneca press release.
