CSL Seqirus: On the front lines of influenza

by/par Gillian Stafford, Director of Commercial Operations for Canada

EACH YEAR, APPROXIMATELY 12,000 CANADIANS WILL BE HOSPITALIZED WITH INFLUENZA. AND 3,500 WILL LOSE THEIR LIVES TO IT.1

While these numbers are startling, Canada is making strides to protect more people each year through seasonal influenza vaccinations, while also preparing for future pandemic influenza challenges.

Annual vaccination remains the best way to prevent seasonal influenza among people six months and older.1 Despite an unprecedented rise in influenza vaccine uptake in 2020,2 work continues to reach national vaccine goals. Encouragingly, in a poll conducted ahead of the 2021 flu season, Canadians said they were more likely to get vaccinated against influenza over the next five years compared to the previous five.3 Moreover, among those who had never received a flu vaccine, 16 percent said they would now be more likely do so within the next five years.3

Providing choice can help Canada continue this momentum. In fact, 36 percent of survey respondents said that choice in the brand of flu shot would make them more likely to get vaccinated.3 Close to half – 46 percent – of people who only “occasionally” get their flu shot also reported wanting a choice in the brand of vaccine they receive.3 In Canada, there are various types of influenza vaccines available such as trivalent, quadrivalent and adjuvanted vaccines.4 Influenza vaccines are made using either egg-based or cell-based technology.4

CSL Seqirus has been leading the fight against influenza for more than 100 years, and this year will be no different. We have a long-standing, well-established relationship with the Canadian government supplying approximately 20 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccine since 2010. And as the back-up supplier for pandemic influenza vaccines, we continue to work side-byside with the Government of Canada.

These partnerships are essential. Earlier this year, we renewed a five-year agreement with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in the United States. Through this agreement, CSL Seqirus will provide influenza vaccines and adjuvants for prepandemic stockpiling to support rapid responses to an influenza pandemic or other public health emergencies.

We have led our industry’s recent progress around influenza vaccine development, delivering notable innovations including our adjuvanted and cell-based manufacturing technologies. And we know that keeping up with evolving threats takes ongoing investment in dedicated scientific research and innovation. We recently announced an investment of a new custom-built R&D facility in Massachusetts, which will support the development of new influenza vaccine technology, including the self-amplifying mRNA (sa-mRNA) technology platform – the next generation vaccine technology for fighting both seasonal and pandemic influenza.

As a company dedicated to the fight against influenza, we are committed to standing together on the front lines with our public health partners. We are proud of the strides we’ve made so far and our ongoing efforts to advance flu protection in Canada and worldwide.

1 Government of Canada. (2021). Flu (influenza): Prevention and risks. Retrieved from: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/ diseases/flu-influenza/prevention-risks.html. Accessed August 2022.

2 Kupfer, Matthew. (2020, October 30). Frustration grows as flu vaccine supply shrinks in Ottawa. CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc. ca/news/canada/ottawa/flu-vaccine-availability-causing-frustration-ot tawa-1.5781750

3 Seqirus. (2021) Canadian attitudes and behaviours to flu vaccination: one year later. Unpublished internal company document.

4 Government of Canada. (2021). Canadian Immunization Guide Chapter on influenza and statement on seasonal influenza vaccine for 2021–2022. Retrieved from: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/vaccinesimmunization/canadian-immunization-guide-statement-seasonal-influenzavaccine-2021-2022.html. Accessed August 2022.