A new high-dose flu vaccine for seniors works better than the standard shot for that age group, according to a study by the vaccine's manufacturer.
Regular flu shots are usually only about 30 to 40 percent effective in people 65 and older, who generally have weaker immune systems. Sanofi Pasteur's Fluzone High-Dose vaccine boosted that to 50 percent, the Associated Press reported.
For other ages, effectiveness can run 60 percent or higher for the regular vaccine. Fluzone High-Dose is designed specifically for people 65 years and older, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
"I wouldn't call it great," Dr. Edward Belongia of the Wisconsin-based Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, a flu vaccine researcher who was not involved in the Sanofi study, told the AP.
Belongia told the AP that any improvement is welcomed. The results could mean fewer illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths in seniors.
The study involved 32,000 seniors in the U.S. and Canada during the last two flu seasons. Half got a regular flu shot and half got the high-dose version. Researchers kept in contact with the participants to see if they had the flu symptoms or were hospitalized; tests to confirm the flu were done in more than half of the people reporting symptoms.
The results found that the high-dose shot was 24 percent more effective than the regular shot at preventing flu, against all strains, the company said.
The FDA licensed the higher-dose Sanofi vaccine in late 2009, based on a study that showed it led to higher levels of flu-fighting antibodies in seniors.
According to the AP, Sanofi has the only high-dose flu shot for seniors on the market. It was used last year in 1 in 5 seniors who got vaccinated. The $27 per dose cost is more than twice the $12 for the company's older version, but Medicare pays for both.
Sanofi officials said they don't believe the cost is a significant deterrent from the new flu vaccine, instead, they believe doctors have been holding off until they saw real-world effectiveness studies.
The new study by Sanofi is the first to measure how much protection it actually provides against the flu.
The government already recommends flu vaccines for everyone, except babies under 6 months. The panel is expected to discuss whether to one day voice a preference for Fluzone High-Dose for seniors.
Among infectious diseases, flu is considered one of the nation's leading killers. On average, about 24,000 Americans die each flu season, according to the CDC.
