The High Authority for Health (HAS) recommended on Friday May 9 to favor some in the future anti-grip vaccines Among the oldest, marking a change of doctrine after a particularly violent epidemic.
“The HAS recommends as part of the vaccination strategy against seasonal flu, among people 65 and overthat vaccines Employment et Fluad are used preferentially in relation to available standard dose vaccines available “summarizes the institution in a press release.
Controversy between laboratories and health authorities
Efluelda, produced by the giant Sanofi, and Fluad, by the VIFOR laboratory, are vaccines designed to be more effective. The first is more dosed in antigens, the components of the virus that the immune system learns to recognize, while the second includes an adjuvant, that is to say a component intended to strengthen its action.
However, these two vaccines, in particular Efluelda, have been the origin of a controversy between laboratories and health authorities for several years. These so far not judged that they had a convincing interest in relation to other vaccinesand therefore did not recommend them more than the others.
Because of this situation, Sanofi had not marketed his Efluelda vaccine this season this season, deeming the price that the authorities offered him too low.
“new data”
Since then, the 2024/2025 epidemic has been particularly violent, with a high mortality Compared to previous years, pushing the HAS to revise its position, especially since the vaccines in circulation testified only to limited efficiency in the elderly.
HAS explains to have “Taken into account new data in the literature showing the capacity of these two vaccines”Efluelda a fluad, “To reduce the number of hospitalizations in the elderly as well as the number of influenza cases experienced in the laboratory”, evaluating at 15-25% their gain in efficiency Compared to standard vaccines.
It therefore recommends them primarily in those over 65, the main category of people targeted by anti-scrippal vaccination campaigns.
On the other hand, the HAS refrains from drawing up a hierarchy between Efluelda and Fluad, and therefore does not recommend one rather than another.
This position therefore opens the way to a return from Efluelda to the market, even if it will still be necessary to wait for a new opinion of the HAS on refund conditionsthen a resumption of negotiations on its price.
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