Proposal not to fund enhanced Flu Vaccine Funding for New Zealanders aged 65 and over is concerning

CSL Seqirus is very concerned with Pharmac’s proposal not to fund recommended enhanced influenza vaccines for people aged 65 and over on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) from 2024 – 2027. Instead, Pharmac will continue funding standard influenza vaccines for this age group.

Older adults are at higher risk for influenza complications and death than the general population. Seasonal influenza is associated with over 3,240 all-cause hospitalisations and 400-500 deaths annually in New Zealand for all ages.1-3 86% of those deaths occur in people aged 65 and over.3

Countries around the world are moving away from standard influenza vaccines because there is wide recognition that enhanced vaccines offer key advantages. In 2022, Pharmac’s Immunisation Advisory Committee recommended that enhanced vaccines be funded with a high priority as they are more effective than standard influenza vaccines in people aged 65 years and over.40

The US, UK, Australia, Italy and Spain publicly fund enhanced influenza vaccines, like Fluad Quad, for people aged 65 and over and New Zealand will be lagging behind these developed countries.

Dr Jonathan Anderson, GP and CSL Seqirus Executive Medical Director says that the protecting the health of older New Zealanders should be prioritised.

“Older adults are more vulnerable to catching flu and experiencing complications that can lead to serious strife. Enhanced vaccines are designed to protect people with an older immune system and keep them out of hospital.”

“New Zealand has a lot of fantastic doctors, nurses and pharmacists but resources are really stretched due to COVID and the flu. One really important thing we can do to protect our health system is to help prevent flu in older age groups.”

“We understand that Pharmac needs to allocate its resources carefully, but enhanced vaccines have been found to be a highly cost-effective prevention for this age group. Pharmac should be given the resources they need to follow their recommendation and fund these vaccines on the NIP with a high priority.

“We’re concerned that without this funding there will be significant inequality as only people who can afford to pay will be able to access the vaccine. This can be a real barrier to accessing prevention for older adults who might be on the pension or Maori and Pasifika populations that already have lower vaccination rates.”

“We know flu can have significant population health impacts. For example, Australia experienced a particularly severe flu season in 2017 with over 6,400 deaths.5 More than 91% of reported deaths and over half of hospitalisations occurred in people aged 65 years or over.5 Funding for enhanced vaccines for this age group began the following year and they have since saved lives.”