GSK ships 2019-20 seasonal influenza vaccines for US market

Piped to the post as ‘first-to-market’ by Seqirus by just hours, late Monday, UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) announced it will begin shipping its quadrivalent influenza vaccines to US healthcare providers and pharmacies for the 2019-20 flu season, immediately following licensing and lot-release approval from the US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

"CDC [US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a flu shot every season," said Judy Stewart, senior vice president, US Vaccines. "To simplify vaccine storage and procurement and to help healthcare professionals realize every appropriate vaccination opportunity, GSK offers two influenza vaccines with the same vaccine dose for all recommended patients," she added.

GSK expects to supply more than 40 million total doses of its influenza vaccines for the US market in the 2019-20 season. Flulaval Quadrivalent will be available in a 5mL, multidose vial containing 10 doses (0.5mL each) and a 0.5mL, single-dose, prefilled syringe. Fluarix Quadrivalent will be available in a 0.5mL, single-dose, prefilled syringe.

"The 2018-19 flu season was the longest flu season the US has experienced in a decade," said Dr Leonard Friedland, VP, director of scientific affairs and public health, vaccines, North America, adding: "This is an important reminder that the flu is a serious and unpredictable disease and annual vaccination is the best way to help prevent flu illnesses and flu-related hospitalizations and reduce the severity of the disease."