Protein Sciences and Partnership for Influenza Vaccine Introduction (PIVI) Team Up to Combat the Flu in Mongolia

The government of Mongolia is committed to developing an expanded, sustainable seasonal influenza program.  PIVI and Protein Sciences Corporation, through the Flublok donation, are providing key support to Mongolia to achieve this vision.  Flublok is a breakthrough in how flu vaccines are manufactured: it is the only flu vaccine that is an exact match to circulating flu strains, and it has been shown to protect broadly against the flu.  In addition, it is the only flu vaccine made without ingredients that have been found objectionable in traditional flu vaccines.  PIVI agreed that Flublok was a good choice for this program because of the urgent need for flu vaccines in Mongolia and the quality of the Flublok product.

"Flublok can save lives," said Manon Cox, President and CEO of Protein Sciences. "When PIVI approached us, we immediately thought it was a perfect opportunity to provide access to Flublok outside the U.S.  It is our hope that this donation will not only help protect the people of Mongolia from the flu, but will also assist them in creating a lasting flu vaccination program." 

"Given the value of a functional seasonal influenza program for pandemic preparedness, PIVI is pleased to partner with Protein Sciences and utilize Flublok in the current vaccination campaign in Mongolia," shared Dr. Mark McKinlay, Director of the Center for Vaccine Equity at the Task Force for Global Health. "Sustainable seasonal influenza vaccine programs are an important building block in the creation of health systems that can not only protect people from influenza now, but also help the country respond to a future pandemic. Flublok is an important new partner to PIVI because this vaccine is not made using eggs, and can be manufactured more quickly than others because it is not dependent on an egg supply." 

As part of the vaccination campaign, health care workers will be trained in administering the vaccine and will be provided all of the proper immunization information in their local language. Once the campaign is complete, the partners will work together to develop and conduct post-campaign evaluation protocols that will provide data to improve vaccination services in future years.

About The Partnership for Influenza Vaccine Introduction
PIVI is an innovative public/private program in which The Task Force for Global Health works in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Ministries of Health, corporate partners and others to create sustainable, national, seasonal influenza vaccination programs in low and middle income countries. This important work protects communities from the impacts of flu, while also building the immunization infrastructure required for future pandemic responses, as well as strengthening capacity to ultimately respond to other emerging disease threats.

About Protein Sciences
Protein Sciences is a world leader in vaccine development and protein production.  Our mission is our inspiration: to save lives and improve health through the creation of innovative vaccines and biopharmaceuticals.     

About Flublok®
Flublok, the world's first recombinant protein-based vaccine for the prevention of seasonal influenza disease, is approved for all adults over 18 years. FDA approved the quadrivalent formulation ("Flublok Quadrivalent") in October 2016 that will be commercially available for everyone over 18 years for the 2017/18 influenza season.  Flublok is the only flu vaccine made in a 100% egg-free system using modern cell culture technology, making it unnecessary to use an infectious influenza virus, antibiotics or harsh chemicals (e.g., formaldehyde) in manufacturing.  Flublok is highly purified and does not contain any preservatives (e.g., thimerosal - a form of mercury), egg proteins, gelatin or latex.  In addition, Flublok contains three times more antigen than traditional flu vaccines (3x45mcg hemagglutinin protein versus 3x15mcg hemagglutinin protein).*  In a 2014/15 post-marketing study of 9,000 adults 50 years and older, people who received Flublok were over 40% less likely to develop cell culture confirmed influenza than people who received a traditional flu vaccine.  Flublok is an exact copy of the influenza virus coat protein and is not subject to the egg-adapted mutations associated with low vaccine effectiveness (see Skowronski et al. (2014) PLOS ONE 9(3), e92153).

Healthcare professionals in the U.S. wishing to order Flublok should contact one of the following distributors:

• Protein Sciences Corporation:  203-686-0800 www.flublok.com
• FFF Enterprises: 800-843-7477 www.myfluvaccine.com
• Cardinal Health: 866-677-4844 http://www.cardinal.com/flu
• McKesson: 877-MCK-4FLU mms.mckesson.com
• Moore Medical: 800-234-1464 www.mooremedical.com/flu
• Henry Schein: 1-800-772-4346 www.henryschein.com

Learn more at www.proteinsciences.com and www.flublok.com.

Flublok Safety Information
Flublok is approved for people 18 and older to prevent influenza disease.  The most common side effect from Flublok is pain at the site of injection. Headache, fatigue or muscle ache may occur.  Tell the doctor if you have ever experienced Guillain-Barré syndrome (severe muscle weakness) or have had a severe allergic reaction to any component of Flublok vaccine. Vaccination with Flublok may not protect all individuals. Please see the complete Package Insert available at www.flublok.com or call 203-686-0800 for more information.

*Flublok demonstrated a higher antibody response to the A strains in two field trials in adults ≥50 years old.  The B strain antibody responses were comparable to traditional trivalent and quadrivalent vaccines.

SOURCE Protein Sciences Corporation

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