AstraZeneca receives European approval for child flu vaccine

6th Dec 2013 07:18

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorisation to its nasally administered four-strain flu vaccine Fluenz Tetra. The vaccine, aimed for the prevention of influenza in children and adolescents from 24 months to 18 years of age, is the first and only intra-nasal four-strain influenza vaccine available in Europe.In the past, flu vaccines have only contained three strains of flu; comprising two influenza A viruses and one influenza B virus. Fluenz Tetra, however, contains an additional influenza B strain.Influenza B strains have accounted for around 25% of the flu strains circulating in Europe.The EC approval is based on data from a recent paediatric study, which showed a similar safety and immunogenicity profile to the three-strain Fluenz vaccine that has already been approved in Europe."Fluenz Tetra represents the next generation of influenza vaccine and we are pleased that it is now approved in Europe," said Filip Dubovsky, Vice President of Clinical Biologics Infectious Disease and Vaccines at MedImmune, AstraZeneca's global biologics research and development arm."The inclusion of a second influenza B strain will broaden the coverage of Fluenz Tetra and should have a valuable public health impact."BC