Influenza Vaccines - Pandemic threat revitalizes the sector

The influenza vaccine market, sized at approximately $2.2 billion in 2006, yields many challenges. Demand is highly variable, and only large players are able to cope with the need for annual updates and the costly manufacturing process. However, driven by the increasing pandemic threat, the market is growing fast and is predicted to more than double in size by 2016.

The demand for influenza vaccines is highly variable and the time window for the vaccination is limited to just a few months per year. This, in combination with the need for annual updates and the long planning cycles required due to the lengthy egg-based manufacturing process, makes the flu vaccine market a highly challenging sector.

The pandemic threat has acted as an important driver for the seasonal vaccine market. Rising public awareness of influenza has increased the demand for seasonal vaccination. Government funding provided for pandemic research is also benefiting seasonal vaccine development through technology transfer.

With Novartis' cell-based Optaflu currently awaiting EU approval and ProteinSciences' baculovirus-based FluBlØk in phase III, new production techniques available are shaping up to change market dynamics. Further advances include adjuvanted vaccines, and, in earlier development stages, DNA- and universal vaccine candidates.

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