News & Perspective

(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.

(CIDRAP News) – Novartis's new cell-culture based influenza vaccine factory in North Carolina has begun making a prepandemic H5N1 flu vaccine and is ready to start producing vaccines for a real pandemic when needed, the company and federal health officials announced yesterday.

The facility in Holly Springs, N.C., billed as the first of its kind in the United States, was dedicated yesterday after a long testing process.

(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) – 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.