Flu: After a particularly severe season, France will reauthorize the Efluelda vaccine for seniors

It's a surprise reversal, a symbol of French authorities' doubts about the country's flu vaccination strategy. Efluelda, the high-dose flu vaccine for seniors from Sanofi, is set to return to French pharmacies this fall, a year after it was withdrawn from the French market in April 2024 following a disagreement between the administration and its manufacturer over its price.

The French National Authority for Health (HAS) paved the way for this return earlier this month. In an opinion published on May 9, it recommended prioritizing its use in people over 65, "preferably over available standard-dose injectable vaccines." A change of gear: in its previous opinion, issued in 2020, the authority had judged, in light of the scientific studies then available, that the benefit of Efluelda in reducing flu cases and hospitalizations was too "modest" to justify such a recommendation.

You have 83.05% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.