FDA approves egg and virus free flu vaccine Flubok

Source: PharmaTimes Area: News The FDA has approved Flublok, the first trivalent influenza vaccine made using an insect virus expression system and recombinant DNA technology.   The company 'Protein Sciences' states that unlike current vaccines, Flublok does not use the flu virus or eggs, as its manufacturing technology allows for production of large quantities of the protein hemagglutinin, the active ingredient in all inactivated influenza vaccines that is essential for entry of the virus into cells in the body.   The director of the FDA's Centre for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said that the new technology "offers the potential for faster start-up of the vaccine manufacturing process in the event of a pandemic, because it is not dependent on an egg supply or on availability of the influenza virus."   Flublok contains three recombinant proteins to help protect against two influenza virus A strains, H1N1 and H3N2, and one influenza virus B strain.
Source: NeLM - News - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news