Recently, Sanofi Pasteur provided an update for the distribution of influenza vaccine for the 2019-2020 flu season. Due to late-emerging A/H3N2 viruses that delayed the strain selection for the upcoming flu season, it is anticipated that the delivery of Sanofi Pasteur influenza vaccines will be approximately 3-4 weeks behind the shipping commitments previously communicated. Sanofi Pasteur fully expects to manufacture and deliver every dose reserved by their customers, beginning with partial shipments to all customers in late-August or September, with all shipments completed by the end of November.
Each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with help from epidemiologists around the world, select the virus strains to be included in influenza vaccines for the upcoming season. This year, due to late-emerging A/H3N2 viruses that circulated globally, the WHO and FDA decided to delay selection of the A/H3N2 strain by one month. This allowed health authorities to collect additional data to help improve the match of the vaccine strain to the A/H3N2 strain anticipated to circulate during the 2019-2020 season.
Sanofi Pasteur fully supports this decision by health authorities to collect additional data and make a more informed selection.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the CPP office at 614-722-2145 or your Sanofi Pasteur representative.