Cheaper flu jab blamed for HALF of all hospital admissions for the illness this winter
HALF of all hospital admissions for flu could have been prevented this winter if health chiefs had not told GPs to use a cheaper jab, it is claimed.
NHS England advised GPs to order a vaccine that protects against three strains of influenza – rather than a pricier one that protects against four.
But a strain used only in the quadrivalent jab – B-Yamagata or “Japanese Flu” – has emerged as the most prevalent B strain this winter.
The trivalent vaccine costs the NHS around £5.25 a dose and the quadrivalent £8 per dose.
Hospitals have cancelled thousands of non-urgent operations as they struggle to cope with an influx of patients and the worst winter crisis on record.
Nick Scriven, from the Society of Acute Medicine, said: “Not using the quadrivalent vaccine has increased the risk of flu admissions this year.
“Half of the flu cases we are getting are the A strain, half are the B. It’s probably about half the cases that are coming into hospital that may have been prevented.”
The World Health Organisation has said that the B-Yamagata strain made up 86 per cent of the B strain cases in 105 countries in December 2017.
NHS England said it did not send out any national advice to GPs over which vaccine to buy.
But papers published by West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group show NHS England South emphasised the “cost effectiveness” of the jabs in letters to GPs.
They said The Green Book, which contains the latest information on vaccines from Public Health England, described the quadrivalent jab as “preferable all things being equal”.
But it added: “The quadrivalent vaccine has a higher cost than the trivalent vaccine and this would add significant cost pressures to the prescribing budget across the South East.
“The advice from the national team is that there is minimal evidence of cost effectiveness.
“In the absence of robust evidence to prove superiority… prescribers should select the product with the lowest purchase price to the NHS and not purchase the quadrivalent vaccine for adults.”
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The Health Service Journal has seen papers from nine other CCGs showing NHS England also advised GPs in their area not to order the more expensive vaccine.
Updated PHE guidance published last month said the quadrivalent vaccine was “likely to be cost effective compared with the trivalent vaccine”.
An NHS England spokesman said PHE was responsible for advising on flu protection and CCGs were responsible for advice issued in their area.
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