Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Supply for the U.S. 2010-11 Influenza Season
How much influenza vaccine is projected to be available for the 2010-11 influenza season?
At the current time, six influenza vaccine manufacturers are projecting that as many as 160-165 million doses of influenza vaccine will be available from currently licensed manufacturers in the U.S. for use during the 2010-11 influenza season.
How much thimerosal-free influenza vaccine is expected to be available for the 2010-11 season?
For the 2010-11 season, manufacturers project producing approximately 74 million doses of thimerosal-free or preservative-free (trace thimerosal) influenza vaccine.
Can I still buy influenza vaccine for the 2010-11 season?
Influenza vaccine pre-booking typically occurs between January and March, though most preparations of vaccine should still be available for purchase. Providers should contact distributors and local vendors about remaining supply. Information about distributors who still have influenza vaccine available for sale can be found at http://www.preventinfluenza.org/ivats/.
What can we anticipate in terms of the timing of vaccine availability for the 2010-11 season?
Distribution of most products is anticipated to begin in August and manufacturer projections indicate that the majority of vaccine will be distributed by the end of October. However, some vaccine distribution will continue into November.
Are all influenza vaccines the same?
Different influenza vaccine preparations have different indications as licensed by the FDA. See the table below for an overview of these indications.
Recommended Influenza Vaccines for the U.S.
2010-11 season
TABLE: Recommended influenza vaccines for different age groups — United States, 2010-11 season |
|---|
| Vaccine | Trade name | Manufacturer | Presentation | Mercury content (mcg Hg/0.5 mL dose) | Age group | No. of doses | Route |
|---|
| TIV* | Fluzone | Sanofi Pasteur | 0.25mL pre-filled syringe | 0 | 6–35 mos | 1 or 2† | Intramuscular § |
| 0.5 mL pre-filled syringe | 0 | ≥36 mos | 1 or 2 | Intramuscular |
| 0.5 mL vial | 0 | ≥36 mos | 1 or 2 | Intramuscular |
| 5.0 mL multi-dose vial | 25 | ≥6 mos | 1 or 2 | Intramuscular |
| TIV | Fluvirin | Novartis Vaccine | 5.0 mL multi-dose vial | 25 | ≥4 yrs | 1 or 2 | Intramuscular |
| 0.5 mL pre-filled syringe | <1.0 | ≥4 yrs | 1 or 2 | Intramuscular |
| TIV | Agriflu | Novartis Vaccine | 0.5 mL prefilled syringe | 0 | ≥18 yrs | 1 | Intramuscular |
| TIV | Fluarix | GlaxoSmithKline | 0.5 mL prefilled syringe | 0 | ≥3 yrs | 1 or 2 | Intramuscular |
| TIV | FluLaval | ID Biomedical Corp. of Quebec, a subsidiary of GlaxoSmithKine | 5.0 mL multi-dose vial | 25 | ≥18 yrs | 1 | Intramuscular |
| TIV | Afluria¶ | CSL Biotherapies | 0.5 mL pre-filled syringe | 0 | ≥9 yrs | 1 | Intramuscular |
| TIV High Dose** | Fluzone High Dose | Sanofi Pasteur | 0.5 mL pre-filled syringe | 0 | ≥65 yrs | 1 | Intramuscular |
| LAIV†† | FluMist§§ | MedImmune | 0.2 mL sprayer | 0 | 2–49 yrs | 1 or 2 | Intranasal |
* Trivalent inactivated vaccine. †Children aged 6 months–8 years who did not receive at least 1 dose of an influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine, who have never received a seasonal TIV before, or who were vaccinated for the first time with the seasonal 2009–10 seasonal vaccine but who received only 1 dose should receive 2 doses of the 2010–11 influenza vaccine formula, spaced ≥4 weeks apart. §For adults and older children, the recommended site of vaccination is the deltoid muscle. The preferred site for infants and young children is the anterolateral aspect of the thigh. ¶Afluria (CSL Biotherapies) is approved by FDA for use in persons aged 6 months and older in the U.S. However, ACIP recommends that Afluria not be administered to children aged 6 months through 8 years of age during 2010-2011, because of an increased frequency of febrile seizures reported among young children (mostly among children aged < 5 years) in Australia in 2010. Therefore, another age-appropriate, licensed seasonal influenza vaccine formulation should be used for prevention of influenza in children aged 6 months through 8 years. If no other age-appropriate, licensed seasonal influenza vaccine is available for a child aged 5 years through 8 years old who has a medical condition that increases their risk for influenza complications, providers should discuss the benefits and risks of influenza vaccination with the parents or caregivers before administering Afluria. **Trivalent inactivated vaccine high dose. A 0.5-mL dose contains 60 mcg each of A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like, A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like, and B/Brisbane/60/2008-like antigens. ††Live attenuated influenza vaccine. §§FluMist is shipped refrigerated and stored in the refrigerator at 36°F–46°F (2°C–8°C) after arrival in the vaccination clinic. The dose is 0.2 mL divided equally between each nostril. Health-care providers should consult the medical record, when available, to identify children aged 2–4 years with asthma or recurrent wheezing that might indicate asthma. In addition, to identify children who might be at greater risk for asthma and possibly at increased risk for wheezing after receiving LAIV, parents or caregivers of children aged 2–4 years should be asked: "In the past 12 months, has a health-care provider ever told you that your child had wheezing or asthma?" Children whose parents or caregivers answer "yes" to this question and children who have asthma or who had a wheezing episode noted in the medical record within the past 12 months should not receive FluMist. |
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