# 4535
Proving that timing is everything, several hours before the CDC released their weekly MMWR which contained information on the new high dose Fluzone vaccine for seniors, I wrote a blog entitled Flu Shots And The Elderly.
In it, I mentioned the new high-dose Fluzone vaccine for seniors, but we’ve a bit more information today.
Since not everyone reads the MMWR each week, and this is a new vaccination option available to those over 65, I thought it deserved special mention today.
This new high-dose flu vaccine contains 4 times the normal amount of antigen; 60 µg of each of the three recommended strains, instead of the normal 15 µg. A trivalent shot, like this year’s regular flu shot, it contains antigens from A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like, A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like, and B/Brisbane/60/2008-like influenza viruses.
Excerpts follow, but you may wish to follow the link to read the entire article. I’ve reformatted some of the paragraphs for easier online reading.
Licensure of a High-Dose Inactivated Influenza Vaccine for Persons Aged ≥65 Years (Fluzone High-Dose) and Guidance for Use --- United States, 2010
Weekly
April 30, 2010 / 59(16);485-486
Persons aged ≥65 years are at greater risk for hospitalization and death from seasonal influenza compared with other age groups (1,2), and they respond to vaccination with lower antibody titers to influenza hemagglutinin (an established correlate of protection against influenza) compared with younger adults (3).
On December 23, 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed an injectable inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine (Fluzone High-Dose, Sanofi-Pasteur) that contains an increased amount of influenza virus hemagglutinin antigen compared with other inactivated influenza vaccines such as Fluzone.
Fluzone High-Dose is licensed as a single dose for use among persons aged ≥65 years and will be available beginning with the 2010--11 influenza season. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) reviewed data from prelicensure clinical trials on the safety and immunogenicity of Fluzone High-Dose and expressed no preference for the new vaccine over other inactivated trivalent influenza vaccines (4).
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ACIP Guidance for Use of Fluzone High-Dose
Fluzone High-Dose may be used for persons aged ≥65 years. All persons aged ≥6 months are recommended for annual influenza vaccination beginning with the 2010--11 influenza season.
ACIP has not expressed a preference for any specific licensed inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine, including Fluzone High-Dose, for use in persons aged ≥65 years (4).
Data demonstrating greater protection against influenza illness after vaccination with Fluzone High-Dose are needed to evaluate whether Fluzone High-Dose is a more effective vaccine for persons aged ≥65 years.
A 3-year postlicensure study of the vaccine effectiveness of Fluzone High-Dose compared with standard dose inactivated influenza vaccine (Fluzone) was begun in 2009 and should be completed in 2012.
As with other inactivated influenza vaccines, Fluzone High-Dose should not be administered to anyone with a known hypersensitivity to egg proteins or influenza vaccine. Adverse events after receipt of any vaccine should be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System at http://vaers.hhs.gov.
