Vaccine makers are expecting influenza infections to climb this season in the United States, and say they are preparing for the uptick.
COVID-19 mitigation measures have turned the past two flu seasons into non-events, with very low infection rates. But this silver lining effect is not expected to continue, FiercePharma reported.
High flu infection rates are now dogging the Southern hemisphere, generally a sign of what is in store for the Northern hemisphere, Dave Ross, VP-North America commercial operations at CSL Seqirus told the news outlet. Australia, for example, has experienced a “twindemic,” a surge in COVID-19 and flu cases, for example.
“People are back to traveling,” Ross said. “Masks are off, [and] people are back in the office. “It’s not a matter of if influenza comes back. It’s just a matter of when and how severe.”
Stronger shots for seniors
Among its products, CSL Seqirus makes Fluad Quadrivalent, one of the strengthened vaccines recommended specifically for older adults by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this season. It plans to deliver 55 million doses of its vaccines in the United States this season, according to FiercePharma.
Drugmaker Sanofi, which makes two flu vaccines preferentially recommended for older, Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent and Flublok Quadrivalent, has said that it is preparing for a “record year” of vaccine sales with a focus on “high-value vaccines,” the news outlet further reported. And vaccine maker GSK is planning to provide 50 million U.S. doses of its flu shots this season.
The 2022-2023 flu season is the first in which the CDC has recommended that older adults receive specific, strengthened vaccine brands. The goal is to better protect this population, which has naturally lower immunity than younger adults, according to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which develops vaccine recommendations.
The CDC has recommended that people 65 and older should receive one of the following: Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent, Flublok Quadrivalent or Fluad Quadrivalent.
An analysis of vaccine effectiveness suggested that these vaccines are already widely offered and accepted among older adults. Most Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older have received a higher-dose or adjuvanted vaccine in recent seasons, ACIP has reported.
