8 flu vaccines authorised, free for the over 60s

With the arrival of autumn, institutions and family doctors are preparing for the vaccination campaign to protect Italians from the flu virus, which experts predict will be 'intense', while attention remains high on Covid. In fact, the new Health Ministry circular on the next anti-Covid vaccination campaign is on its way and, like last year, the vaccine will be recommended to the over-60s, in RSAs, to health and social care workers, the frail and the immunocompromised.

In the meantime, eight influenza vaccines have been authorised by the Italian Medicines Agency (Aifa) and the European Medicines Agency (Ema), and as every year, the viral strains have been updated according to the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO), based on the antigenic characteristics of the viral strains circulating in the last season. Influenza vaccination is recommended and offered actively and free of charge to those over 60 years of age, pregnant and post-partum women, children between 6 months and 6 years of age, those suffering from chronic diseases that expose them to a greater risk of complications in the event of influenza, people hospitalised in long-term care facilities and family members of subjects at high risk of complications, as well as employees of public services of primary collective interest, such as doctors and health and social welfare personnel, police forces and fire brigades.

Not all authorised vaccines are necessarily available on the market, Aifa points out: the regions in fact decide annually, through tenders for the supply of vaccines, which of the commercially available products will be used. The ministry of Health recommends starting the regional campaigns from the beginning of October, but the dates differ from region to region: in Lazio and Lombardy on 1 October, in Veneto and Emilia on 7 October, in Piedmont beyond the 15th. The role of family doctors remains central. According to Silvestro Scotti, general national secretary of the Italian Federation of General Practitioners (Fimmg), for 'optimal coverage we should have flu vaccines available in our offices at the beginning of October to be able to vaccinate the different types of patients. The Australian data on influenza does not reassure us, it seems that it will be a fairly important form,' he emphasises. Starting the administrations at the beginning of next month 'allows us to organise them according to the needs and requirements of the population. - He notes - if the vaccines are delivered in November, some people have already caught the flu and are unlikely to vaccinate afterwards'.

The influenza vaccines authorised by Aifa under mutual recognition and decentralised procedures are: Efluelda tetra (Sanofi Pasteur), Fluarix tetra (Glaxosmithkline biologicals s.a.), Influvac s (Viatris healthcare Limited), Influvac s tetra (Viatris healthcare Limited), Vaxigrip tetra (Sanofi Pasteur Europe). While those authorised under the centralised procedure (coordinated by the Ema) are: Fluad tetra (Seqirus Netherlands B.V.), Flucelvax tetra (Seqirus Netherlands B.V.) and Fluenz (Astrazeneca Ab).