Fluarix™, inactivated split-virus influenza vaccine

Influenza is a potentially fatal respiratory infection resulting from several influenza virus strains. It causes annual epidemics of disease for which vaccination is the cornerstone of public health policy. The inadequacies of vaccine supply in the US during the 2004 influenza season revealed the deficiencies of current vaccine development and delivery. One outcome of this was the accelerated approval of an inactivated split-virus influenza vaccine, Fluarix (TM). This paper reviews the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of this vaccine, and makes recommendations for the incorporation of Fluarix (TM) into the public health framework alongside other similar vaccines. Other directions to explore in an effort to secure future vaccine supply are considered.