FDA Approves Six Flu Vaccines for 2008-09 Season

The FDA has approved six influenza vaccines for the 2008-09 season. This year’s flu vaccines are targeting three additional strains of the virus previously not found in vaccines.

The three additional strains are:
– An A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1)-like virus
– An A/Brisbance/10/2007 (H3N2)-like virus
– A B/Florida/4/2006-like virus

The addition of the three new strains comes in response to the low success rate of the vaccines during the 2007-08 season. Last year’s flu season, with a protection rate of only 44%, is considered the worst since 2003-04 by some experts.

The six vaccines that have been approved are:
– CSL Ltd’s Afluria
– GlaxoSmithKline Biologic’s Fluarix
– ID Biomedical Corporation of Quebec’s Fluval
– MedImmune Vaccine’s FluMist
– Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics’ Fluvirin
– Sanofi Pasteur’s Fluzone