Seqirus, a global leader in influenza prevention, has announced that it is to supply influenza pandemic vaccines as part of the response to a growing pandemic emergency.
Signing influenza pandemic contracts with the European Commission and 15 European Union Member States, Seqirus is the first influenza vaccine manufacturer to sign such contracts under the EU joint procurement framework.
Influenza and pandemics
A pandemic occurs when an influenza virus which was not previously circulating among humans and to which most people don’t have immunity emerges and transmits among humans. As the majority of the population has no immunity to these viruses, an outbreak can result in significant morbidity and mortality.1
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control estimates that a severe pandemic could infect up to a quarter of the population of the European Union, with many millions of cases and tens of thousands of deaths.2
The commitment of Seqirus
The WHO’s Global Influenza Strategy for 2019 – 2030 states that a severe pandemic can result in widespread social and economic effects, including a loss of national economic productivity and severe economic burdens on affected citizens and communities.3
Seqirus is committed to working with key stakeholders in public health to develop a range of effective pandemic preparedness solutions, including stockpiling vaccines for first responders to help protect communities and mitigate the potentially devastating economic and social impact of an influenza pandemic.
One of the world’s greatest public health challenges
“According to the WHO, influenza remains one of the world’s greatest public health challenges and the question is not whether we will have another pandemic, but when. We are committed to working with our partners to protect people around the world by providing rapid access to influenza vaccines during a pandemic emergency,” said Gordon Naylor, President, Seqirus.
With leading influenza vaccine technologies and expertise dating back to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, Seqirus is a trusted partner to governments around the world.
The development of the EU joint procurement framework was driven by the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009, which highlighted the lack of consistency in access to pandemic vaccines between EU countries.
References
- WHO. (2014). Influenza virus infections in humans. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/virology_laboratories_and_vaccines/influenza_virus_infections_humans_feb14.pdf?ua=1.Accessed March 2019.
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. (2019) Questions and answers on influenza pandemics. Retrieved from: https://ecdc.europa.eu/en/pandemic-influenza/facts/questions-and-answers. Accessed March 2019.
- WHO. (2019). Global influenza strategy 2019-2030. Retrieved from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/311184/9789241515320-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. Accessed March 2019.
