FDA approves Fluzone Quadrivalent (Sanofi Pasteur) vaccine for Influenza

Sanofi Pasteur, has announced that the FDA has approved the supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for licensure of its four-strain influenza vaccine, Fluzone Quadrivalent vaccine.

Fluzone Quadrivalent vaccine is the newest addition to the Fluzone family of influenza vaccines. Like Sanofi Pasteur�s Fluzone vaccine, which is administered to more than 50 million people in the U.S. each year, Fluzone Quadrivalent vaccine is licensed for use in children six months of age and older, adolescents, and adults.

The 2013 influenza season will be the first in which quadrivalent influenza vaccines will be available in the U.S. Until this year, seasonal influenza vaccines included only one B strain. Fluzone Quadrivalent vaccine includes two A strains and two B strains to help protect against influenza disease. Epidemics of influenza B occur every two to four years in all age groups.