Dosing of Influenza Vaccine in Older Adults: More Is Better

Despite increasing vaccination rates among older adults in recent years, the rates of hospitalization and death from seasonal influenza have risen. Reduced influenza vaccine efficacy in this population translates to less-than-optimal protection. One possible solution to the problem would be use of a higher-dose vaccine (JW Gen Med Jun 16 2006). In an industry-supported, double-blind, phase III study conducted at 30 centers in the U.S., researchers compared the immunogenicity of a standard-dose (SD; 15 µg of hemagglutinin per strain) trivalent influenza vaccine with that of a high-dose (HD; 60 µg of hemagglutinin per strain) vaccine in healthy adults aged ≥65.

A total of 3876 participants were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive HD or SD vac…