NHS should administer quadrivalent flu jabs, according to GlobalData

Administration of quadrivalent flu jabs should be on the agenda for the NHS as fourth flu strain, known as ‘Japanese flu’ is becoming most prevalent in Europe, according to data and analytics company, GlobalData.

Currently, the NHS offers a trivalent vaccine, which protects those who receive it against three strains of flu. A quadrivalent jab would offer further protection against the fourth strain.

“By most measures, the 2017–2018 influenza season has thus far been particularly severe, and the disease is currently placing a significant burden on healthcare services in Europe and North America,” asserted Thomas Moore, Healthcare Analyst at GlobalData.

In the US, the most prescribed vaccine for influenza is the more expensive quadrivalent one, however, in Europe more patients receive the trivalent vaccination. For patients who receive the vaccine in the UK, on the NHS, it can be either the quadrivalent or trivalent one (under 18 year olds receive the former and all other patients the latter).

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on the different flu strains in circulation, an increase in Japanese flu in Europe may have been caused through more commonly using the trivalent vaccine.

For cases that have been tested during the 2017–2018 flu season so far, the majority (65%) in Europe have been cases of influenza B (of which the most common subtype has been Japanese flu), compared with only 9% of patients in the US suffering from this strain. However, in the US most patients (78%) have been found to have ‘Aussie flu’ or H3N2 strain instead.

“There are several factors that could contribute to the difference in influenza strains observed between continents,” Moore continued. “For example, a high prevalence of the H3N2 strain in Europe during the 2016–2017 season is expected to have carried over some protection against Aussie flu this year. However, it is highly likely that the stark difference in prevalence of Japanese flu between Europe and the US is affected by the continued use of trivalent vaccines.”

GlobalData reports that of the quadrivalent vaccines available in the UK — GSK’s Fluarix Tetra and Sanofi Pasteur’s vaccine — the price difference per jab are only slightly more than the trivalent vaccine currently used. The costs stated are £9.94 and £8 for the quadrivalent vaccines (respectively) versus £6 per jab for the trivalent.

In this respect, GlobalData emphasizes that this extra cost represents a better long-term investment as a result of the potential benefits of protecting against the four strains rather than just the three.