Seqirus begins shipping influenza vaccines for upcoming season
Seqirus has started shipping its portfolio of seasonal influenza vaccines to U.S. customers for the upcoming 2020-21 flu season.
The Summit, N.J.-based company said it expects to supply up to 60 million doses of influenza vaccines for healthcare providers across the U.S. depending on demand, a record number of doses for the company
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone six months and older without contraindications receive an annual influenza vaccine as the best way to prevent seasonal influenza.
Influenza vaccination also is an important tool to reduce the impact of influenza in the population and resulting burden on the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are collaborating with our partners across the industry to ensure a reliable supply of influenza vaccines throughout the season to help as many eligible people as possible get an influenza vaccination,” said Dave Ross, vice president, North America commercial operations at Seqirus. “Our healthcare system is facing an unprecedented public health crisis with COVID-19, and we are proud to provide healthcare providers and their patients with a broad range of influenza vaccine options as early as possible to help protect against influenza and help lessen the overall burden on our healthcare system.”
Seqirus has a broad portfolio of differentiated products for individuals six months of age to adults 65 years and older, presented in pre-filled syringes as well as multi-dose vials.
This year Seqirus will provide Fluad (Influenza Vaccine, Adjuvanted), the first-and-only adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine approved for adults 65 and older, in addition to Fluad Quadrivalent (Influenza Vaccine, Adjuvanted).
Fluad Quadrivalent contains an additional B strain to help prevent disease caused by all 4 influenza strains represented in the vaccine. The Seqirus 2020-21 influenza vaccine portfolio also includes Flucelvax Quadrivalent (Influenza Vaccine), a cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine approved for use in persons 4 years of age and older and Afluria Quadrivalent (Influenza Vaccine), an egg-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine approved for use in those six months of age and older.
“Influenza vaccination is critical every year, and it is more important than ever this season as it can help reduce the risk of co-infection from seasonal influenza and COVID-19 and minimize the burden of flu on the healthcare system to preserve capacity for patients with COVID-19 and other serious disorders,” said Gregg Sylvester, Seqirus chief medical officer. “Our cell-based and adjuvant vaccine technologies are designed to address influenza prevention challenges and deliver on our commitment to safeguard people and communities against seasonal influenza.”
“We are exploring all possibilities to optimize supply across our global network to help meet the additional demand for the 2020-21 influenza season,” said Chris Larkins, senior vice president of global operations at Seqirus. “We are collaborating with stakeholders across the public health community to ensure recommendations on influenza immunization practices are aligned with timing of available supply. Our focus right now is to ensure as many people as possible can be vaccinated prior to when influenza usually peaks in February and March.”