New flu shot for those with allergies

MERIDEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- Good news tonight for people who may not have been able to get the flu shot because of allergies. The FDA just approved a new vaccine that was made right here in Connecticut.

The  FDA has approved a new influenza vaccine called Flublok. The new vaccine is made without the use of live influenza virus and is completely egg free.

"The egg based vaccine goes back sixty years and, um, whereas it's a pretty good vaccine, we just think we've raised the bar here and made this much better," said Dan Adams the Executive Chairman of Protein Sciences.

This year, the flu is being reported in epidemic proportions. Doctors say the best way to prevent the illness is with a flu shot. Still, many people opt out and take their chances.

"Eighteen percent of the hundred and thirty million people eighteen to forty-nine in this country get a flu shot. Eighty two percent don't. Why? They don't like the vaccine," said Adams.

Developers say many people have shied away from a flu shot in the past because they feared the presence of the live virus causes the flu.

"It's not scientifically accurate but it's what they believe and they won't take the vaccine," said Adams.

The lack of egg in this new vaccine makes it available to people with allergies who couldn't get a shot before.

The product realization lab in Meriden is where scientists are hard at work everyday working on different vaccines and it was a lab just like this one that Flublok was developed in so News 8 went to take a look and see how things are done.

Computer models, purifying agents, and lots of scientific terminology. Creating a vaccine is hard work.

"This is coming up with the sort-of right cocktail of stuff and then once you perfected that it will go onto production," asked News 8's Jacquie Slater.

Right, he's developing a process right now," said Adams. "So how we do things in production is much larger scale than this."

With FDA approval now behind them, developers are hopeful Flublok will be at your doctor's office in the next few weeks.