Tetravalent flu vaccine from Butantan will receive funding from BNDES

The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) released R$45.4 million for the Butantan Institute, in São Paulo, to carry out the clinical trials necessary to develop a tetravalent influenza vaccine, the virus that causes the flu. The expectation is that the test results of the new vaccine will be submitted to the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in December 2024, with registration of the immunizer expected to be issued in the second half of 2025.

The president of BNDES, Aloizio Mercadante, said that the bank’s support makes it possible to increase research and innovation for the development of the Health-Industrial Economic Complex, an important part of the Lula government’s New Industrial Policy.

“Access to vaccines is a right of the Brazilian people, guaranteed by the SUS [Sistema Único de Saúde] through the National Immunization Program. By increasing the effectiveness of the flu vaccine used in the Ministry of Health’s campaigns, the project contributes to the improvement of our health system, by reducing the number of hospitalizations, complications and deaths caused by the disease”, he stated.

Efficiency

The current flu vaccine produced by Butantan protects against the three most prevalent types of influenza viruses and its composition is updated annually, due to the virus’s high mutation rate. The new tetravalent vaccine will increase the effectiveness of the vaccine, in addition to facilitating the incorporation of other strains of the virus that may become relevant in the future.

Two clinical trials will be carried out. One of them will include participants over 3 years of age and the other will include children aged 6 to 35 months. Clinical studies are managed by Butantan and conducted by more than twenty research centers distributed across the Southeast, South and Northeast regions of Brazil.

“The authorization of this resource from BNDES comes at an opportune time, showing the bank’s commitment to contributing to Brazil’s ability to strengthen its autonomy in the immunobiological sector”, says the executive director of Fundação Butantan, Saulo Nacif.