The Efluelda flu vaccine, reserved for the elderly and not marketed last season due to a price disagreement between the government and pharmaceutical company Sanofi, is returning to the French market, according to a decree published Thursday in the Official Journal.
"The return of Efluelda in trivalent form represents a major step forward," Sanofi told AFP, having "anticipated its production from March" to ensure its availability for the 2025/26 season.
"It will be reimbursed at 100% for populations defined by vaccination recommendations, via a health insurance voucher, like other flu vaccines," the group added.
Efluelda is reserved for those over 65, as it has been specifically developed to protect those most at risk of complications.
For this purpose, it is four times more dosed than the classic vaccine developed by Sanofi against the flu, called VaxigripTetra.
In April 2024, French health authorities, which the pharmaceutical giant accused of setting too low a price for Efluelda, announced the cessation of marketing of this vaccine, which continued to be available in more than ten countries.
They did not then consider that the vaccine presented any proven benefit compared to other vaccines, and therefore did not recommend it any more than the others.
But last May, following a particularly violent epidemic, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) recommended giving priority to two flu vaccines for older people, including Efluelda, over standard-dose injectable vaccines.
The 2024/2025 flu epidemic had indeed proved to be particularly violent, with a high mortality rate compared to previous years, prompting the HAS to revise its position, especially since the vaccines in circulation had only shown limited effectiveness in the elderly.
English 
French