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High-dose influenza vaccines now available across the entire population – marking a new phase in influenza prevention and control with subunit vaccines
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- Time of issue:2026-08-15
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(Summary description)On August 14, China's first trivalent influenza virus subunit vaccine, designed to cover the entire population aged 6 months and older, officially received batch release approval. The first batch of products was dispatched from Taizhou China Pharmaceutical City to more than a dozen provinces across the country, marking the official commencement of its supply to the national market. The deployment of this new vaccine addresses the gap in high-quality influenza prevention coverage across all age groups in China and drives the evolution of the country's influenza vaccine industry from traditional split-virus technology to advanced subunit technology.
High-dose influenza vaccines now available across the entire population – marking a new phase in influenza prevention and control with subunit vaccines
(Summary description)On August 14, China's first trivalent influenza virus subunit vaccine, designed to cover the entire population aged 6 months and older, officially received batch release approval. The first batch of products was dispatched from Taizhou China Pharmaceutical City to more than a dozen provinces across the country, marking the official commencement of its supply to the national market. The deployment of this new vaccine addresses the gap in high-quality influenza prevention coverage across all age groups in China and drives the evolution of the country's influenza vaccine industry from traditional split-virus technology to advanced subunit technology.
- Categories:Industry news
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- Origin:
- Time of issue:2026-08-15 10:22
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2026-08-15 13:01:19 Source: China National Radio Network
On August 14, China's first trivalent influenza virus subunit vaccine, designed to cover the entire population aged 6 months and older, officially received batch release approval. The first batch of products was dispatched from Taizhou China Pharmaceutical City to more than a dozen provinces across the country, marking the official commencement of its supply to the national market. The deployment of this new vaccine addresses the gap in high-quality influenza prevention coverage across all age groups in China and drives the evolution of the country's influenza vaccine industry from traditional split-virus technology to advanced subunit technology.
Event scene (Photo by Hou Yu)
For a long time, China's influenza vaccine market has been dominated by split-virus vaccines, which faced challenges such as insufficient vaccination doses for infants and young children and mild adverse reactions caused by residual impurities. The newly launched subunit influenza vaccine is currently the only trivalent product in China that provides comprehensive coverage across the entire life cycle – from infants and young children aged 6 months to elderly individuals. This breakthrough addresses a longstanding industry challenge: the need for half-dose administration and limited protective efficacy in infants and young children aged 6 to 35 months. For the entire population, a standardized dose of 0.5 mL is used, ensuring more standardized vaccination practices and more consistent protection, while also significantly streamlining inventory and vaccination management at primary healthcare facilities.
As a third-generation influenza vaccine technology, the subunit vaccine offers significant advantages over traditional split-virus vaccines. This technology eliminates ineffective viral impurities and precisely extracts only the two core effective antigens—hemagglutinin and neuraminidase—resulting in substantially higher antigen purity. Due to the rigorous purification process, the raw material utilization rate is extremely low; for instance, the raw materials required to produce five doses of a split-virus vaccine can be used to manufacture only one dose of a subunit vaccine. This approach entails higher technological barriers and more stringent quality standards. Leveraging its advantages of high purity, high safety, and high immunogenicity, this technology has been recognized in the authoritative guidelines issued by the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which explicitly state that its safety profile is superior to that of traditional split-virus vaccines.
Vehicles loaded with vaccines stand ready for departure (Photo by Hou Yu)
Clinical data confirm the robust protective efficacy of this vaccine. Its antibody protection level is significantly superior to that of traditional whole-cell vaccines, and its safety profile is particularly outstanding: the overall incidence of adverse reactions in adults is substantially lower; the incidence of local adverse reactions in infants and young children is only 54% of that observed with traditional vaccines; and the incidence of fever-related reactions in children is reduced to 46% of that seen with traditional vaccines. This provides an gentler and safer protective option for elderly individuals and children with compromised immune systems.
The launch of this new product aligns with the latest global trends in influenza prevention and control. In 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) removed the B/Yamagata lineage strain from its recommended vaccine recommendations and began promoting the trivalent influenza vaccine formulation. The introduction of this new trivalent subunit vaccine marks the successful alignment of China's influenza vaccine formulations and core technologies with international standards, ensuring optimal adaptation to current global influenza epidemiological patterns.
Previously, China's quadrivalent subunit influenza vaccine had overcome a critical technological hurdle, filling a gap in the domestic high-end market. Now, the launch of a trivalent vaccine for the entire population has established a comprehensive product portfolio that complements both the trivalent and quadrivalent vaccines, marking a steady advancement in China's independent innovation capabilities in influenza vaccine development. For years, the influenza vaccination coverage rate among the general population in China has remained low, significantly lower than that in developed countries. The nationwide rollout of high-quality subunit influenza vaccines for the entire population will effectively optimize the domestic influenza vaccine supply structure, expand public vaccination options, and strengthen the public health protection barrier during the autumn and winter seasons. (Source: Taizhou Pharmaceutical High-Tech Zone)
Relevant information
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How to choose a reliable influenza vaccine during the flu season? An evidence-based guide for subunit vaccines for all age groupsInfluenza (commonly referred to as the flu) is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by the influenza virus. Unlike the common cold, influenza is highly contagious and is characterized primarily by systemic symptoms. Elderly individuals, children under the age of 5, patients with chronic diseases, pregnant women, and individuals with compromised immune systems are all considered high-risk populations for severe influenza [1]. A study based on national influenza surveillance and cause-of-death surveillance data revealed that, on average, there are 88,000 excess deaths related to influenza-associated respiratory diseases annually across China [2]. The total economic burden on outpatient patients with influenza ranges from RMB 801 to RMB 1,320, while the total economic burden on hospitalized influenza patients ranges from RMB 9,832 to RMB 23,833 [1]. In the face of the significant challenge posed by influenza, influenza vaccination is currently recognized worldwide as the most cost-effective and effective means of preventing influenza [1]. - The leap in influenza vaccine technology: from split-virus vaccines to whole-population subunit vaccines – what are the key advancements in the third-generation vaccines? 08-19
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