News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday approved the nation's first cell-based flu vaccine, a product from Novartis that uses technology that could help vaccinate more Americans in a pandemic but still has many of the same limitations of older egg-based flu vaccines.

(CIDRAP News) – A final report from Finnish health officials on the link between the 2009 H1N1 Pandemrix vaccine and narcolepsy confirmed the link, finding a greater risk than their earlier estimate and identifying a genetic risk factor in all patients.

(CIDRAP) – Europe's drug regulatory agency today released its final review of a link between narcolepsy and the Pandemrix 2009 H1N1 vaccine, which recommends a labeling change that limits the vaccine's use in children and teens to when protection is needed and seasonal trivalent vaccine isn't available.

(CIDRAP News) – New data from Sweden today added more evidence of a link between a 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine and narcolepsy in children and adolescents, suggesting that those who were vaccinated had more than a sixfold increase in risk for the condition.

(CIDRAP News) – A preliminary report from Finnish health officials today said the link between narcolepsy in children and the Pandemrix 2009 H1N1 vaccine appears to be real, but more study is needed to explore the possible role of other factors.

(CIDRAP News) – Doubts about flu vaccine effectiveness in children younger than 2 years have kept some countries from recommending immunization for them, but Finnish researchers presented promising data yesterday that they say might prompt some to reconsider.

(CIDRAP News) – A new report says that a cell culture derived influenza vaccine and a conventional egg-based vaccine both proved effective in a large international clinical trial, offering support for those who contend that cell-based vaccines should become an important part of flu vaccine supplies in coming years.

(CIDRAP News) – The European Medicine Agency (EMA) said today it is not clear if there is any link between narcolepsy cases and the Pandemrix vaccine for 2009 H1N1 influenza, and it will take 3 to 6 months to investigate the possibility fully.