At-risk Australians now have access to a cell-based flu vaccine on the National Immunisation Program
Flucelvax® QUAD, manufactured by Australia's CSL Seqirus, is now available on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for eligible five to 64 years old Australians.1
Flucelvax QUAD is the first and only cell-based influenza vaccine available in Australia, approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for use in adults and children aged six months and older.2
Ongoing seasonal circulation of influenza is expected to continue, which means vulnerable groups remain at high risk of severe outcomes from influenza.3
EMBARGO: Sydney, 3 April 2024
A cell-based flu vaccine, Flucelvax® QUAD [quadrivalent influenza vaccine (surface antigen, inactivated, prepared in cell cultures)], developed and manufactured by Australian company CSL Seqirus, is now available on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for the first time to protect at-risk Australians from influenza (flu).
Cell-based flu vaccines like Flucelvax QUAD are a significant innovation in flu vaccine manufacturing. They are designed to match the virus strains likely to be prevalent for the upcoming flu season, as determined by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Flucelvax QUAD is now available for free via the NIP to eligible Australians at higher risk of complications from flu, including:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged five to 64 years of age
pregnant women
people aged five to 64 years old with co-existing medical conditions, including:
cardiac disease
chronic respiratory conditions
chronic neurological conditions
immunocompromising conditions
diabetes and other metabolic disorders
chronic renal failure
functional or anatomical asplenia
long-term aspirin therapy in children aged 5 to 10 years.1
Influenza can be a serious disease and continues to return to pre-COVID levels of circulation. In 2023, there were close to 300,000 influenza cases, 3,696 hospitalisations and at least 376 flu-related deaths reported across Australia.4,5 Modelling suggests the true burden of flu may be much higher than reported.6
According to infectious diseases expert, Professor Robert Booy, access to Flucelvax QUAD via the NIP for the upcoming flu season is welcome news for the wider community.
"Seasonal circulation of influenza is expected to continue, which means vulnerable groups remain at high risk of infection and potentially life-threatening complications.
"Being able to offer a cell-based influenza vaccine to vulnerable patients on the NIP gives GPs, and now pharmacists, an important option for protection against the virus, which ultimately enables more Australians to be prepared for flu season," commented Professor Booy.
"Research indicates that 50 per cent of Australians consider flu to be very serious and people can die from it.7 Yet in 2023, only about 25% of the population aged five to 64 years were vaccinated against influenza.5 With coverage like that, there's certainly a strong chance that many vulnerable Australians are not getting vaccinated against influenza."
Dr Julianne Bayliss, Vaccines Medical Director at CSL Seqirus says influenza vaccination is incredibly important to help take pressure off the healthcare system.
"As an Australian company, we're proud to help make Flucelvax available to the most vulnerable people in our community.
"For more than 100 years, CSL has been manufacturing flu vaccines in Australia for Australians, and it's exciting to now have this groundbreaking technology on the public program," said Dr Bayliss.
"Flucelvax QUAD will be proudly produced in Australia from 2027, after our world-class, cell-based vaccine manufacturing facility in Melbourne comes online. This reinforces our commitment to public health and vaccine innovation."
Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all Australians six months of age and older.3
You can access VNR footage here featuring interviews with Professor Booy and Dr Julianne Bayliss, as well as b-roll footage of patient vaccination and the upcoming world-class manufacturing facility in Tullamarine.
