By Sean Williams, The Motley Fool
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
I believe some of this plays into common misconceptions that the flu shot will make you sicker, as well as the fact that researchers are doing nothing more than giving you their best guess as to which strain will be dominant this year. Without certainties, more people than the CDC would like are opting not to get vaccinated.
Conversely, this represents a major growth opportunity for flu vaccine makers. These include:
- FluMist by AstraZeneca : This is the only nasal spray approved by the FDA, and, according to AstraZeneca, it produced 12 million doses for this year’s flu season. Despite having no needles involved, sales of FluMist haven’t taken off as many analysts had expected.
- Fluzone by Sanofi : As of January, Sanofi’s Fluzone had sold better than expected, with the company producing 60 million doses and selling out of certain aspects of its immunization therapy. Fluzone comes with a particularly shorter and less intimidating needle, which induces less apprehension over “getting a shot.”
- Fluvirin by Novartis : Novartis’ Fluvirin shipped roughly 36 million doses through mid-January and works in similar fashion to Fluzone. One of the big difference is its approval, which ranges from age 4 and up, versus Fluzone, which can be used in infants as young as six months.
- Fluarix, Flulaval, and Relenza by GlaxoSmithKline : Flulaval is a vaccine that Glaxo has been supplying regularly for nearly a decade. Fluarix is an “
Filed under: Investing
Every year, it appears that flu season starts earlier and earlier, and somehow, every year, the virus mutates into its “most virulent form ever.” Sometimes it’s a wonder we even survive with the way that news stations discuss the near-plague that sweeps across the country beginning every fall and extending into winter. Yet, we persevere based on a combination of factors, including good genetics, healthy eating habits, making smart life choices, and, supposedly, in some cases, by getting a flu shot.
Keep that needle away, Doc
The jury has definitely been shown both sides of the coin when it comes to the effectiveness of annual flu vaccines. On one hand, physicians will admit that the flu shot is not a cure-all potion that will prevent the flu. Researchers, each year, must take their best guesses based on the data available on what strains of the flu will be circulating and hope that they’ve given flu vaccine manufacturers the proper guide to protect our growing, and aging, population. These guesses are often fairly accurate, but they don’t produce perfect results.
There’s also quite a bit of skepticism regarding the effectiveness of existing flu medications like Tamiflu, which was developed by Gilead Sciences and licensed to Roche . In November, a researcher linked to the British Medical Journal called for European Union nations to sue Roche for not divulging all of its Tamiflu records in 2009 when requested. Roche countered by noting that it released all pertinent legal information, but refused to release confidential patient-level data to the BMJ researchers. The World Health Organization added Tamiflu to its “essential medicines” list, which resulted in many countries stockpiling the medication. However, the vaccine is simultaneously being investigated by the European Medicines Agency (Europe’s version of the Food and Drug Administration) for not reporting the side effects — including deaths — for 19 separate drugs, including Tamiflu, used on approximately 80,000 people in the U.S.
The numbers don’t lie
On the other hand, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have made it quite statistically clear that there exists demonstrable evidence that flu shots serve a benefit to the greater population. Whether it be in reducing the severity or longevity of the illness, or building the body’s immune system up to support against the virus, the CDC is clear in recommending that people over the age of six months get vaccinated annually.
The CDC posted its mid-season update for 2012-2013 on this year’s vaccine effectiveness (known as VE) on Feb. 21. To my astonishment, the figures were actually quite encouraging. The CDC‘s VE estimate for protection all age groups was 56%. This year’s vaccine was 47% effective against flu A — the H3N2 virus, which is the most common virus this season – and 67% effective against flu B. These results might underwhelm some of you, but the end result is that patients who developed flu A had their chance of hospitalization …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
