FDA: 2016-2017 Flu Vaccines Approved

The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Advisory Committee approved vaccines for 4 strains of influenza for the 2016 to 2017 season in the northern hemisphere.

Each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) makes recommendations to the FDA’s committee regarding which strains of the flu to include in the vaccines each season.
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In February, the WHO’s recommendations were based on the flu strains that will circulate the northern hemisphere next season. The FDA’s committee then reviewed and approved the recommendations at their meeting on March 4.

To construct its recommendations, the WHO surveyed which flu strains are currently circulating worldwide and the effectiveness of the previous season’s flu vaccine in the northern hemisphere.

The vaccine in the northern hemisphere for the 2015-2016 season was 59% effective overall, 51% effective against A (H1N1), and 76% effective against B strains, according to the CDC.

After reviewing the recommendations, the committee approved the following trivalent and quadrivalent vaccines for the 2016-2017 flu season:

  • A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus,
  • A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 (H3N2)-like virus,
  • B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus (B/Victoria lineage), and
  • B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (B/Yamagata lineage) for the quadrivalent vaccine.

“Lists of candidate influenza vaccine viruses that are available and reagents for vaccine standardization, including those for this recommendation, can be found on the WHO website,” the WHO concluded.

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

World Health Organization. Recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2016-2017 northern hemisphere influenza season. Published February 25, 2016. http://www.who.int/influenza/vaccines/virus/recommendations/201602_recommendation.pdf?ua=1.