Update of EMA recommendations for 2017/2018 seasonal flu vaccine composition
NewsCorporate
Update completes previous recommendations issued in March 2017
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued an update of 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.
The updated recommendation now also contains a decision on a suitable A/Michigan/45/2015 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus strain for live, attenuated vaccines. Details, including the specific virus strains recommended, are available in the recommendation of the Biologics Working Party (BWP) ad-hoc Influenza Working Group.
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 Agency recommends that marketing-authorisation holders submit applications to change the composition of centrally authorised seasonal flu vaccines by 12 June 2017.