FDA: New FLU Vaccines Approved in Wake of Widespread Flu Outbreak

While Flu vaccines are typically cultured using chicken eggs to grow the virus, a new technology was approved by the FDA last November. This is the first flu vaccine to use cell-based rather than egg-based technologies according to the FDA.

Flucelvax, a new Flu vaccine approved by FDA in November 2012, is for use in people ages 18 and older. The unique part of the vaccine is that the manufacturing process for Flucelvax, while similar to the egg-based production, grows the virus strains included in the vaccine in cells of mammals.

Following on the approval of Flucelvax, another flu vaccine, known as Flublok, received FDA approval on January 16, 2013 and is manufactured using another new technology. For use in people 18 through 49 years of age, Flublok does not require the use of actual influenza viruses, and eggs are not used at any point in the manufacturing process.

According to the FDA, “Flublok uses an influenza virus protein that is made by genetically modifying a virus that infects insect cells to produce the flu vaccine protein. The protein, as in other flu vaccines, then triggers the immune system of the person receiving the vaccine to make protective antibodies.”