Flucelvax

This is a trivalent flu vaccine

For a more detailed explanation of some of the ingredients, see this article: https://www.wired.com/2014/11/whats-inside-flu-shot/

Ingredients:

Active ingredients:

Hemagglutinin (a protein from influenza virus that acts as an antigen) from 3 types of influenza (flu) virus:

H1N1
H3N2

Victoria lineage

Flucelvax is a subunit vaccine, so it does not contain the whole virus. As a result, you cannot get the flu from the vaccine.

Inactive ingredients:
Amounts are based on a 0.5 mL dose

Solvent: the liquid that the other ingredients are dissolved in

Preservatives: prevent bacterial growth and contamination

*Thimerosal is only in multi-dose vials of flu vaccines, which means that one vial of vaccine contains multiple doses. As a result, the container would be reused, so it needs a preservative to prevent contamination between the different uses from the same vial. Single dose vials contain no thimerosal.

Manufacturing Byproducts:

Relevant Terms

Antibody: a protein made by the immune system in response to a foreign particle (antigen). These proteins circulate in the blood and help defend the body against the substance.
Antigen: This is any substance that triggers the immune system to create antibodies. For example, allergens such as pollen are antigens.
pH: a measure of how acidic or basic a solution is. The scale ranges from 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very basic). A pH of 7 is neutral.
Trivalent: protects against four different serotypes of the pathogen (in this case, influenza virus)

Relevant terms

Sources

Package insert: https://www.fda.gov/media/85322/download
Trivalent: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/trivalent.htm
General:
Phosphate-buffered saline:
- https://www.fda.gov/food/laboratory-methods-food/bam-r60-001-m-phosphate-buffered-saline-ph-75
  - Note: the amounts in this source are used to make a stock solution that is diluted before use, so the values on this website reflect the final concentrations, not the stock solution.
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sodium-salt-and-you
- https://www.fda.gov/files/drugs/published/Drug-Shortages--Sodium-Phosphate-Notification-Letter.pdf
- https://academic.oup.com/labmed/article/40/5/290/2657559
Beta-propiolactone:
CTAB:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19654225/
- https://drugs.ncats.io/drug/24QSH2NL8N
Polysorbate 80:
- https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-ingredients
- https://www.motrin.com/products/infants-motrin
Thimerosal:

Last updated: July 28, 2024