The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 12th that it plans to grant national shipment approval for a total of 28 million doses of influenza (flu) vaccine, including 7 domestic and 7 imported types, in preparation for the upcoming winter influenza season.
The amount approved for shipment last year was a total of 25.81 million doses. The amount expected to be approved this year is 2.19 million doses more than last year's. Regarding this, a Ministry of Food and Drug Safety official noted, "The 28 million doses are merely the amount expected to be approved, and the final amount may be adjusted based on the manufacturers' production circumstances," and added, "Last year, 28 million doses were also expected to be shipped, but the final amount actually shipped was 25.81 million doses."
This year, in contrast to last year, approximately 27 million doses of the 3-valent flu vaccine, rather than the 4-valent vaccine, will be primarily supplied. The 4-valent vaccine prevents 2 types of A viruses (H1N1 and H3N2) and 2 types of B viruses (Victoria and Yamagata). Considering that since March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not detected the B virus (Yamagata) in flu patients, it is a measure taken based on its recommendation to administer the 3-valent vaccine.
The domestic flu vaccines scheduled for distribution in Korea include 7 items: GC Biopharma's "GC Flu," Boryung's "Boryung Flu Vaccine" (2 types), SK bioscience's "Skycell Flu," IL-YANG PHARM's "IL-YANG Flu Vaccine," and Korea Vaccine's "COVAX Flu" (2 types).
The imported vaccines will be provided by products from four companies: CSL Korea, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Sanofi-Aventis Korea, and Korea AstraZeneca. The nasal spray vaccine "FluMist Intranasal Spray," developed by AstraZeneca, will also be distributed in Korea for the first time this year.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to hold an explanation meeting on the national shipment approval for flu vaccine manufacturers and importers on the 12th, ensuring that flu vaccines are shipped without disruption in the second half of the year and that citizens can receive vaccinations at the appropriate time. The meeting will provide guidance on the preparation of manufacturing and quality control summaries and the 2025 national vaccination supply and procurement plan (Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency).
A Ministry of Food and Drug Safety official stated, "We expect this briefing will help citizens receive flu vaccinations smoothly during the recommended vaccination period (October to November)," and added, "We will continue to do our best in quality control so that citizens can use vaccines with confidence."