News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Influenza vaccine over the past few months has provided moderate protection overall but didn't have a significant impact on protecting seniors, a study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed today.

(CIDRAP News) – The influenza vaccine that was developed to fight the 2009 pandemic saved roughly 300 lives and prevented about 1 million illnesses and 6,000 hospitalizations, or under 3% of the estimated total burden in each category, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The world needs much better influenza vaccines, but the quest for them faces a formidable barrier: overconfidence about the effectiveness of existing influenza vaccines.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) vaccine advisory group today heard the latest information on flu vaccine effectiveness and safety and updated its recommendation on the number of flu vaccine doses children under age 9 should receive.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday approved the first quadrivalent influenza vaccine, an inhaled live attenuated influenza vaccine developed by MedImmune and modeled after its FluMist product.

The vaccine includes a second influenza B strain, which is designed to broaden protection against circulating strains. MedImmune plans to have the quadrivalent vaccine ready for the 2013-14 flu season.