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Overview and Trend Analysis of China’s Influenza Vaccine Industry in 2018
Release date:
2018-11-30
Author:
Article/Excerpt: China Industry Information Network
Source:
Abstract
I. Classification and Sales Analysis of Influenza Vaccines
1 , Classification of Influenza Viruses and Vaccines
Influenza is short for “infectious influenza,” referring to respiratory and other organ diseases caused by influenza viruses. It experiences varying degrees of prevalence each year during the winter and spring seasons. Human influenza viruses are classified into type A (A… Types A, B, and C are the causative agents of influenza. Among them, influenza A virus is the most prone to mutation, capable of infecting both humans and a wide range of animals, and constitutes the primary pathogen responsible for human influenza; subtypes H1N1 and H3N2 have long been endemic in human populations. For example, the 2009 pandemic caused by influenza A (H1N1) resulted in at least 12,000 deaths worldwide. Influenza B virus typically does not trigger global pandemics but can cause regional, seasonal outbreaks. Influenza C virus, on the other hand, usually leads only to mild upper respiratory tract infections in humans and rarely gives rise to epidemics. Consequently, current influenza vaccines are primarily designed to protect against seasonal influenza caused by influenza A (H1N1) and A (H3N2), as well as influenza B.
At present, vaccination remains the most effective method for preventing influenza-related illness and outbreaks in humans. There are three main types of influenza vaccines: the first-generation whole-virus inactivated vaccine, the second-generation split-virus vaccine, and the third-generation subunit vaccine; all are classified as Class II vaccines. Each vaccine contains influenza A strain 1… Inactivated influenza virus or antigenic components of three subtypes—A(H1), A(H3), and B. At present, the primary products approved for release by the National Institute for Food and Drug Control are split‑influenza vaccines, which, based on inactivated vaccines, employ a viral splitting process to enhance immunogenicity while maintaining a high safety profile.
2 Flu vaccine sales have bottomed out and are rebounding.
Influenza vaccination is highly seasonal, typically administered between July and August each year. Vaccination campaigns typically begin in the fall and continue into early spring of the following year. During the 2009–2010 influenza pandemic, domestic influenza vaccine batch releases peaked at over 60 million doses, after which they declined and stabilized at 30–40 million doses. In 2017, nationwide batch releases totaled more than 26 million doses, an increase of approximately 4 million doses compared with 2016—nearly a 20% year-on-year growth. Actual vaccinations are estimated to have covered over 20 million people; at RMB 50 per dose, the end‑user market size exceeded RMB 1 billion. With the onset of the 2017 flu season and growing public awareness of vaccination, influenza vaccines appear poised for a strong rebound from their recent lows.
Currently, the influenza vaccines available on the domestic market are mainly trivalent, containing two type A strains. (One type of influenza A and one type of influenza B), while the quadrivalent influenza vaccine has not yet been launched. There are currently 15 domestic manufacturers licensed to produce inactivated influenza vaccines; as market competition intensifies, some have been forced to exit the market, leaving only 5–6 companies with batch‑release data over the past two years.
2017 Annual monthly batch release volume of influenza vaccines (in ten thousand doses)
II. The influenza vaccine is a truly blockbuster product with significant promotional value.
Despite the WHO It has been repeatedly emphasized that influenza vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza. However, compared with the United States, China sees fewer than 20 million people vaccinated annually, resulting in a vaccination rate of less than 2%—just one‑twentieth of the U.S. rate. Data show that in 2017, the overall vaccination rate was 38.6%, with 38.8% among children and adolescents and 38.5% among adults; the goal for 2020 was to achieve a 70% vaccination rate across the entire population. Currently, 115 countries worldwide have incorporated influenza vaccines into their national immunization programs, including several middle- and low-income nations and one low-income country. By contrast, as China’s economic conditions continue to improve and public health expenditures increase, there remains substantial room for further growth in domestic influenza vaccination coverage.
U.S. CDC Recent findings from a robust multinational survey indicate that globally, between 291,000 and 646,000 people die each year from respiratory illnesses associated with seasonal influenza—higher than the previously estimated range of 250,000 to 500,000. In the United States, annual influenza‑related deaths range from 12,000 to 56,000. However, data from China’s Ministry of Health show that in 2017, only 41 flu‑related deaths were recorded in China, and even during the more severe outbreak of January–February 2018, the figure was just 106—less than 1% of the U.S. total. Consequently, there is a widespread misconception in Chinese society that Chinese people are immune to influenza and therefore rarely succumb to it.
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