Flu vaccine ordering for 2019/20 season

Practices should place their orders as soon as possible (given the issues we had this season), to avoid any delay in delivery of vaccines and to ensure you have supplies of the recommended vaccines in September, ready for the start of the season for all your eligible population.  We have been assured that there will be no phased delivery for next season and a practice can choose to have their order delivered in one batch at the start of the season or split into two deliveries, depending on available fridge space.  Most pharmaceutical companies offer a sale or return service on a percentage of their order, so there is scope to return unused vaccine to the supplier.

Vaccines recommended are as follows:

• The standard egg cultured quadrivalent inactivated vaccine (QIVe) will continue to be recommended for 18 to 64-year olds in clinical at-risk groups and other eligible groups, including frontline health and social care workers.
• The adjuvanted trivalent inactivated vaccine (aTIV) will continue to be recommended for individuals aged 65 years and over.
• In addition, the cell grown quadrivalent vaccine (QIVc), Flucelvax® Tetra, is now licensed for use in the UK for patients aged nine years and upwards and is suitable for those aged 9 to 64 years in clinical at-risk groups, frontline health and social care workers and for individuals aged 65 years and over.

Note that all children's vaccines will be centrally procured, as in previous seasons, and can be ordered from ImmForm.