After 70 Years, Can We Move Beyond Egg-Based Influenza Vaccine Production?

During the 2019–2020 flu season, the cell-culture–based vaccine outperformed traditional egg-based vaccines.

Although influenza vaccine is traditionally developed in a chicken egg–based system, the emergence of egg-adaptation mutations can decrease vaccine effectiveness. Investigators conducted a retrospective analysis using a large U.S. claims database to evaluate the relative effectiveness of cell-culture–derived inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine (IIV4c) versus egg-based inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine (IIV4e) in subjects aged 4 to 64 during the 2019–2020 influenza season. Among 1,138,969 IIV4c recipients and 3,926,357 IIV4e recipients, outcomes data were analyzed for influenza-related and respiratory-illness–related ED visits and hospitalizations. A subgroup analysis of individuals with high-risk comorbid conditions was also…

Reviewing Author

Wendy S. Armstrong, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardNIH Therapeutics and Prevention Data Safety Monitoring Board

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Board of Internal Medicine Infectious Diseases Subspecialty Board (member), Infectious Diseases Society of America (Vice President)

Wendy S. Armstrong, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardNIH Therapeutics and Prevention Data Safety Monitoring Board

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Board of Internal Medicine Infectious Diseases Subspecialty Board (member), Infectious Diseases Society of America (Vice President)

After 70 Years, Can We Move Beyond Egg-Based Influenza Vaccine Production?

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Reviewing Author