"Seqirus Media Monitoring" 18th Jul 2019
Seqirus mentions
Anjana Narain to Lead Seqirus Influenza Vaccines Business
CSL today named Anjana Narain, a seasoned leader in vaccines and biopharmaceuticals, as Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Seqirus business, effective 1 August. She will replace Gordon Naylor, who announced his retirement earlier this year. "In leading Seqirus, Anjana brings diverse, broad-based experience as a well-established global industry leader," said Paul Perreault, CSL CEO and Managing Director. "As a global leader in influenza prevention, Seqirus is well positioned to deliver sustainable growth," said Narain. "I am excited to lead an organization that is on the front line in protecting public health around the world."
CSL share price higher on key Seqirus appointment
The CSL Limited share price has edged higher this morning following the announcement of a key appointment. CSL has appointed Ms Anjana Narain as the executive vice president and general manager of its Seqirus business. Ms Narain certainly appears to be a good fit for the fast-growing influenza vaccines provider. The release explains that she has a track record of strategic vision and strong leadership that has delivered industry-leading performance and sustainable growth.
Industry News
Trump preparing executive order for flu vaccine
The Trump administration is preparing an executive order to incentivize flu shot makers to use new development processes and encourage vaccination, Politico first reported. People "with knowledge of the plan" said the President is preparing the order, but budget officials and Congress still need to approve funding. Through the executive order, the Trump administration will direct HHS to develop a universal flu vaccine. The order is expected to establish a task force to identify ways to monitor this progress and to incentivize vaccine makers to use new development processes that are faster than the traditional approach using hen's eggs, according to the report.
Canadian adults aren’t keeping up-to-date with their own vaccinations
While the majority of adults believe they have a responsibility to stay healthy for their families, their own vaccinations aren’t a priority. A recent study was conducted by Ipsos Vaccinate for Life, commissioned by GlaxoSmithKline. It found that over 50% of adults don’t think keeping up to date on their own immunizations is as important as making sure their children are. Michael Wortzman is the medical affairs manager and scientific advisor for GSK; he says the flu shot is one in particular that adults should get every year. He said while the flu may not be a big deal for healthy adults, it can be fatal for toddlers or the elderly.
Marius Nacht Buys Controlling Stake in Universal Flu Vaccine Developer BiondVax
Marius Nacht, co-founder of Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point Software Technologies, has acquired a controlling stake in BiondVax, the company announced. With his current $16.67 million investment, made through Nacht’s wholly-owned entity Angels Investments in High Tech Ltd. as part of BionVax’s rights offering, he has become the company’s controlling shareholder.
Pandemic Influenza News
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Academic studies
UMMS receives funding from DARPA to develop influenza prevention
A team led by Robert W. Finberg, MD, has received funding from a new Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program focused on delivering powerful defenses against public health and national security threats. “Our goal is to make use of our own genes to prevent virus infection before it gets started,” said Dr. Finberg, the Richard M. Haidack Professor and chair and professor of medicine. “We believe that advances in modulating gene expression can be used to tune the human immune system to more efficiently activate and fight disease. That should lead to new ways to treat viruses, in particular the flu.”
Women's greater immune response to flu vaccine declines with age
Women tend to have a greater immune response to a flu vaccination compared to men, but their advantage largely disappears as they age and their estrogen levels decline, suggests a study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The researchers evaluated responses to the flu vaccine in 50 adults age 18-45 years and 95 adults age 65 and older, and found that the women in the younger group had a stronger immune response compared to the older women and all men.
University dooms human medicine, trains AI to make vaccines
South Australia’s Flinders University has trained an AI to create vaccines from scratch. According to its human overseers, their efforts could soon replace ours. According to Professor Nikolai Petrovsky, the AI was tasked to find its own vaccine using all the available compounds in the universe. “This confirmed that (the AI) not only had the ability to identify good drugs but in fact had come up with better human immune drugs than currently exist,” Nikolai said. It matters in the season of influenza, as Associate Professor Dimitar Sajkov believed the AI-engineered remedies could soon see a far better vaccine than the pithy 2019 flu shot.
Pediatric influenza news
Hong Kong health authorities to test scheme to provide free nasal spray flu vaccines for schoolchildren
Pupils at some kindergartens and primary schools will be able to receive a free nasal spray vaccine against influenza viruses, rather than the more painful injection, from October, Hong Kong health officials announced. It is believed the use of a nasal spray will help push up the vaccination rate among children as it is generally easier to administer than conventional flu jabs.
Over 65’s influenza news
Guelph health authority preparing for potentially bad flu season
In Canada, the health authority that oversees Guelph and Wellington County says it is already preparing for what could be a nasty flu season this year. Officials have been looking at cases in Australia, where health authorities are reporting unusually high flu activity and more than 200 reported deaths so far in the country’s flu season. The public health authority expects to start providing flu shots by mid-October. The Ministry of Health said it has ordered 300,000 more high-dose flu vaccines this year than it did last year, with a total order of 1.2 million. The high-dose vaccine has four times the amount of antigens than the regular flu shot and is given to more vulnerable people, such as seniors.
General Influenza News
Extra flu jabs not enough for Canterbury - medical officer
Extra stocks of this year's flu vaccine are now available around New Zealand for those who missed out the first time around. High uptake meant remaining stocks had to be prioritised for at-risk groups only from June, as more stock was not expected to be available. Pharmac found an extra 55,000 doses in Australia, and they arrived this week. It's being delivered to GPs and pharmacies now, but Canterbury medical officer of health Dr Alistair Humphrey said his district would get just 10 percent of it. He said that would only be enough for those at high risk from flu, not others who've not yet had the jab.
Fact or fiction: experts weigh in on the flu vaccine
The influenza vaccine is the best prevention measure available against a virus that has claimed the lives of 52 West Australians this year. Despite this, many still resist getting the flu jab because of the common misconceptions surrounding it. WA Health communicable disease control director Dr Paul Armstrong and PathWest National Influenza Centre director David Smith, who is a clinical professor at the UWA faculty of health and medical sciences, demystify the myths.
Brace Yourselves WA... Flu Season Has Arrived!
In WA, peak season for influenza is usually between July and September, however, the Department of Health have reported that this year, flu season has hit much earlier than usual. Get yourself a flu shot ASAP! WA has already dished out a massive 769,000 doses
London health officials encouraging vaccination ahead of potentially difficult flu season
There could be a very difficult flu season ahead in Ontario, according to Health Minister Christine Elliott and local public health officials. According to Dr. Alex Summers, associate medical officer of health for the Middlesex-London Health Unit, flu activity in Australia may indicate how the virus will impact London. Along with Australia’s current flu season, Summers said vaccination hesitancy is a constant concern.
Public Health preparing for a predicted 'very difficult' flu season
It looks like this year's flu season in Canada might be a rough one if Australia's has been any indication. The severity of the country's season has led Ontario's Ministry of Health to order an additional 300,000 high-dose flu vaccines compared to last year. Kristy Wright, Manager of Infectious Disease for the Region of Waterloo Public Health, says they've been monitoring Australia's flu season for some time. "We are aware that in Australia, they've had an early season and also a very busy season. Flu activity is currently high there for this time of year in comparison to previous years."
Worker absenteeism tops four-year high at height of 2017-2018 flu season: CDC
Health-related workplace absenteeism during the 2017-2018 flu season peaked at its highest level in four seasons and surpassed the epidemic threshold in January and February, according to a recently released report from the CDC. Using data from NIOSH’s Current Population Survey, researchers analyzed the prevalence of health-related workplace absenteeism among full-time workers during the 2017-2018 flu season, spanning from October to September. CDC recommends employers and public health officials keep absenteeism in mind when developing prevention messages and pandemic preparedness planning
Burden of disease
Influenza claims another four lives in WA, but experts say the worst may be over
Influenza has claimed four more lives in the past week in what is shaping up as Western Australia's most deadly flu season in a decade. However experts say cases appear to be on the decline, suggesting the worst may be over from a virus that is notoriously difficult to combat through vaccination. The message about the importance of vaccinating against the flu appeared to be getting through to parents, with 46 per cent of children aged six months to five years recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register, compared to just 16 per cent at the same time last year. But Dr Bloomfield said getting a shot would not necessarily prevent someone from coming down with the flu, and urged people to adjust their expectations of the seasonal vaccine.
Horror flu season sees cases rocket
The number of flu cases in the Great Southern has jumped 1500 per cent this year in a “horror flu season”. With the season hitting early and strong, there have been 407 more flu cases in the region this year compared to last. WA Country Health Service population health director Sandra Crowe said there had been a dramatic rise. A Department of Health spokeswoman said uptake of the flu vaccine had been high, with 756,000 people vaccinated in WA.
Doctors working overtime as Hawke's Bay's flu season stretches health sector
In New Zealand, Hawke's Bay doctors are working feverishly as winter flu and injuries overwhelm the region's medical centres and the hospital's Emergency Department. Acting Chief Medical and Dental Officer Dr Colin Hutchison said Hawke's Bay Hospital had been stretched by a wide variety of illnesses and injuries.
13 H1N1 deaths reported in Myanmar within 4 days
A total of 13 more deaths by A(H1N1) pdm 09 influenza have been reported in Myanmar over the past four days, according to the figures released by the public health department under the ministry of health and sports Wednesday. The total death toll have risen to 56 as of Tuesday when 43 deaths were previously reported on July 13.
Flu Surveillance in Animals