For the 2024-2025 flu season in America, some changes are on the horizon when it comes to the flu shot formulation. In a significant development, it has been decided that the flu shots for the upcoming season will only guard against three types of flu virus, as opposed to the usual four.
One of the flu viruses that will not be included in the upcoming flu vaccines is the Yamagata lineage, which has not been seen since March 2020. Experts have recommended removing the apparently extinct Yamagata viruses from the flu shot formulations for the next season. The FDA advisory committee has unanimously agreed to drop Yamagata viruses from the flu shot formulation for the upcoming season.
The decision to drop Yamagata from the flu shot formulations carries multiple benefits. It could potentially boost manufacturers’ production capacity and eliminate any risks associated with growing the virus in a lab. Health officials are underscoring that people do not need to be vaccinated for a virus that appears to be extinct.
Despite the consensus among health officials, some pharmaceutical industry leaders argue that manufacturers need more time to switch to a trivalent formulation. However, manufacturers have assured that they are prepared to make trivalent vaccines for the U.S. starting this upcoming season, with other countries likely to follow suit later on.
All U.S. flu shot manufacturers have already submitted the necessary regulatory paperwork and are expected to be on track to produce trivalent vaccines for the next flu season. This shift in the flu shot formulation aims to ensure that people are protected against the most prevalent and concerning strains of the flu virus in the upcoming season.
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