Novartis FLUAD seasonal flu vaccine for older adults receives Health Canada approval

Provides enhanced vaccine immunogenicity and protection against flu strains not included in current vaccine

Health Canada has approved FLUAD^®, a Novartis seasonal flu vaccine for adults 65 years and older.  Canadian seniors are the hardest hit of all age groups by seasonal influenza and account for 90 per cent of influenza deaths and 70 per cent of hospitalizations.

As individuals age, their immune systems decline making them more susceptible to influenza and the risks associated with getting ill.  FLUAD^® is the first seasonal flu vaccine in Canada to contain an adjuvant (MF 59) to help boost the immune response and help provide better protection against the flu. FLUAD^® has been licensed and used extensively in Europe since 1997 with in excess of 50 million doses being administered.  Studies have shown that FLUAD^® enhances the vaccine's immune response in older adults (≥ 65 years of age), including those with chronic diseases, compared with conventional non-adjuvanted vaccines.  Importantly, research also shows that FLUAD can help protect against influenza strains not included in the vaccine.

"We know that the seasonal flu and subsequent diseases such as pneumonia are a leading cause of death among Canadian seniors and we are seeing that Canadians are increasingly complacent about vaccination this flu season," says Dr. Jay Keystone, Director of the Medisys Travel Health and Immunization Clinic in Toronto and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto.  "FLUAD should provide added protection for seniors to help them get through the tough winter months and will be critical for influenza prevention."

The ability to mount an effective immune response against infection gradually wanes with age.  As such, the degree of protection conferred by traditional influenza vaccines is lower in the elderly than in healthy adults.  Vaccination with FLUAD has been shown to improve the effectiveness of influenza vaccines in the elderly.

Seasonal Flu in Canada:

• Influenza usually affects 10-15 per cent of the population yearly.
• Roughly 70,000-75,000 hospitalizations per year are related to influenza.
• It causes 4000 deaths annually; with 80-90 per cent of the deaths in seniors 65 and older.

FLUAD will be available in Canada for seniors in the fall 2011. 

Source: NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CANADA INC.