Quadrivalent flu vaccines by GC and SK Bio get lot release

As of July 22, MFDS to release three lots per vaccine product sufficient for 875,000 recipients

From this year, all flu vaccines distributed in Korea to be quadrivalent as NIP adds quadrivalent vaccine

Korea’s top influenza vaccine manufacturers GC Pharma and SK Bioscience have passed the government’s lot release side-by-side for their quadrivalent vaccines.

 

Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) explained the approval was about a couple of weeks earlier than previous years, as the seasonal influenza could spread with COVID-19 at the same time.

 

As of July 22, MFDS announced the approval of three lots of GC Fluquadrivalant pre-filled syringe injection by GC Pharma (Q60220002, Q60220003 and Q60220004) and three lots of SKY Cellflu Quadrivalent prefilled syringe by SK Bioscience (Q022002, Q022003 and Q022004).

 

The six lots all together can immunize total 875,000 recipients.

 

MFDS elaborated the ministry cut over ten days from the usual lot release period (35 days) for the vaccines to be flawlessly distributed and used in the healthcare system, while COVID-19 shows similar symptoms as a seasonal flu.

 

The first lot release was green lit in early August last year.

 

Director Jung Ji-won of Vaccine Testing Division at National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation (NIFDS) stated, “While the healthcare system has to focus on COVID-19, unnecessary confusion could be caused by influenza demonstrating similar symptoms and spreading along with COVID-19,” so the ministry “accelerated the lot release for the influenza vaccines.” Accordingly, the influenza immunization season can start earlier depending on the decisions by general healthcare institutes.

 

But the National Immunization Program (NIP) would still be provided from September like previous years.

 

Sources report all influenza vaccines to be distributed in the domestic market would be quadrivalent vaccines as the NIP newly added quadrivalent vaccine this year.

 

A quadrivalent vaccine is used to prevent all four influenza viruses the World Health Organization (WHO) designates every year.

 

Although the vaccines manufactured by GC Pharma and SK Bioscience are quadrivalent vaccines, GC Pharma uses egg-derived vaccine and SK Bioscience uses cell-cultured vaccine.

 

MFDS projected influenza vaccine lot for approximately 27 million recipients would be released this year, and noted a special lot release team for influenza vaccine was formed as of July 21 to process double the supply of the demand before the immunization season.