FDA approves formulation for 2012-2013 flu vaccines

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved the formulation for the 2012-2013 flu vaccine, the agency said Monday.



The agency's approval is for all six licensed flu vaccines for the 2012-2013 season: Afluria, made by CSL; Fluarix, made by GlaxoSmithKline; FluLaval, made by ID Biomedical; FluMist, made by MedImmune Vaccines; Fluvirin, made by Novartis; and Fluzone, made by Sanofi.



The strains selected for inclusion in the 2012-2013 vaccines are A/California/7/2009, an H1N1 strain; A/Victoria/361/2011, an H3N2 strain; and B/Wisconsin/1/2010-like virus. The FDA said that while the H1N1 virus is the same as those included in the 2011-2012 vaccines, the H3N2 and B viruses are different from last season.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual flu vaccinations for most adults and children, and most major pharmacy retailers have pharmacists who can administer them.

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