EU recommendations for 2017/2018 seasonal flu vaccine composition
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EU vaccine composition advice is based on WHO recommendations
The European Medicines Agency has issued the European Union (EU) Biologics Working Party (BWP) Ad-hoc Influenza Working Group: Amended European Union recommendations for the seasonal influenza vaccine composition for the season 2017/2018 that vaccine manufacturers should include in vaccines for the prevention of seasonal influenza from autumn 2017.
Trivalent vaccines for the 2017/2018 season should contain these three virus strains:
- an A/Michigan/45/2015 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;
- an A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 (H3N2)-like virus;
- a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus.
For quadrivalent vaccines with two influenza B viruses, a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus in addition to the strains mentioned above is considered appropriate.
These recommendations also apply to the manufacture of live attenuated influenza vaccines.
Every year, EMA's ad hoc Influenza Working Group issues EU recommendations for the composition of seasonal influenza vaccines on the basis of observations by the World Health Organization (WHO). The recommendations for the influenza season 2017/2018 were endorsed by the Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) on 23 March 2017.
The Agency recommends that marketing-authorisation holders submit applications to change the composition of centrally authorised seasonal flu vaccines by 12 June 2017.