Europe Recommends Bird Flu Vaccines

In 2024, there have been several reports of avian influenza virus infections in birds, mammals, and humans. As a result, government agencies are taking measures to prepare for potential pandemics.

On February 23, 2024, the Human Medicines Committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued its recommendations for avian influenza vaccines.

The committee adopted positive opinions for two vaccines intended for active immunization against the H5N1 subtype of influenza A virus, also called bird flu.

One of them, Celldemic (zoonotic influenza vaccine (H5N1)(surface antigen, inactivated, adjuvanted, prepared in cell cultures)), is intended for immunization during outbreaks of influenza coming from animals, including when public health authorities anticipate a possible pandemic.

The other, Incellipan (pandemic influenza vaccine (H5N1) (surface antigen, inactivated, adjuvanted, prepared in cell cultures)), is a pandemic preparedness vaccine intended for use only if a flu pandemic has been officially declared.

In the event of a pandemic, once the virus strain causing the pandemic is identified, the manufacturer can include this strain in the authorized pandemic preparedness vaccine and apply for the vaccine to be authorized as a 'final' pandemic vaccine.

Because the vaccine's quality, safety, and efficacy have already been assessed with other potential pandemic strains, the authorization of the final pandemic vaccine can be accelerated, wrote the EMA.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20 million H5N1 and 12 million H7N9 vaccines were available in the National Strategic Stockpile in 2023.

The U.S. FDA authorized the Audenz™ (Influenza A(H5N1) Monovalent Vaccine, Adjuvanted) cell-based vaccine on January 31, 2020.