Universal vaccineBill to jump-start universal flu vaccine efforts

Published 20 February 2018

As the nation grapples with a long and unrelenting flu season rivaling by some measures the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, a group of U.S. senators last week unveiled a proposal to invest $1 billion in research over the next 5 years to create a universal flu vaccine that would provide lifetime protection against a range of influenza strains. The announcement came just as U.S. researchers released an interim report card on the flu vaccine’s performance so far this season, which again showed disappointingly low effectiveness against H3N2, this season’s dominant strain.

As the nation grapples with a long and unrelenting flu season rivaling by some measures the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, a group of U.S. senators last week unveiled a proposal to invest $1 billion in research over the next 5 years to create a universal flu vaccine that would provide lifetime protection against a range of influenza strains.

The announcement came just as U.S. researchers released an interim report card on the flu vaccine’s performance so far this season, which again showed disappointingly low effectiveness against H3N2, this season’s dominant strain.

Funding boost far above current levels
The bill, called the Flu Vaccine Act, was introduced on 15 February by Ed Markey (D-Mass.), with seven Senate cosponsors: Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

CIDRAP says that from a total investment of $1 billion, the proposed law would direct $200 million each year over fiscal years 2019 through 2023 to universal flu vaccine research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to a press release from Markey’s office. For comparison, he said the NIH’s National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) spent about $64 million in fiscal year 2017 on universal flu vaccine research.

The Markey press release pointed to the mounting number deaths and hospitalizations this season, plus the toll the disease takes on the nation’s pocketbook and workforce. “The flu costs the nation $10.4 billion in direct medical costs annually and $87 billion in total economic burden, yet our current investment is significantly lacking,” it said.

Dedicated funding outlined in the bill would ensure that scientists are able to conduct the basic science they need to improve current vaccines and ultimately develop a universal version, Markey said. “America’s scientists and clinicians are gold medalists in health and disease research, and it is up to the United States to lead the world in the response to the flu,” he said. “We must enhance our ability to predict the right strain for the next season, produce a more optimal vaccine, and protect all Americans against all strains of this virus.”

Paul Auwaerter, MD, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), said in Markey’s statement that the devastation of severe flu this season underscores the urgent need for a universal vaccine that would protect against the virus, regardless of the circulating strains.