Zydus launches vaccine for new strain of influenza virus

A quadrivalent vaccine, by covering strains of both influenza A and influenza B, provides a broader protection and significantly reduces the risk of vaccine mismatch

New Delhi: Zydus Lifesciences on Wednesday said it is introducing a vaccine for protection against new strain of influenza virus.

The company is introducing country’s first flu protection quadrivalent influenza virus vaccine as per WHO recommended composition, the Ahmedabad-based drug major said in a statement.

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Zydus’s Quadrivalent Inactivated Influenza vaccine VaxiFlu-4 will offer seasonal protection against four new virus strains, it added. A quadrivalent vaccine, by covering strains of both influenza A and influenza B, provides a broader protection and significantly reduces the risk of vaccine mismatch, it said.

The vaccine has been cleared by the Central Drug Laboratory (CDL), the drug maker said.

“Preventives are the key to public health in both the developing and the developed world and vaccines have the potential to improve the quality of life,” Zydus Lifesciences Managing Director Sharvil Patel said.

In India, there is a pressing need for access to affordable, high-quality vaccines that can address healthcare challenges, he added. “With vaccines like VaxiFlu-4 we are serving the cause of public health through annual immunisation and preventing flu outbreaks,” Patel said.

The company said it has developed the vaccine at its Vaccine Technology Centre (VTC) in Ahmedabad.

Because of annual and occasional outbreaks, the control of influenza has become a major public health challenge, it stated.

Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses which spread from person to person, mainly through airborne respiratory droplets generated from coughing and sneezing or direct contact with an infected surface or individual.

It causes illnesses that range in severity and at times lead to hospitalisation or even death, mainly in high-risk groups, such as under-five children, the elderly, and people with immunosuppressive and chronic medical conditions.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), seasonal influenza results in 2.9 lakh to 6.5 lakh deaths every year.