Flu vaccine produced with insect ovaries approved by FDA

Amid a season in which the flu is spreading at an exceptional rate across the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine that can get to the people who need it quicker than conventional vaccines.
 
FDA approval came January 16 for the new vaccine, called Flublok, which was developed by Protein Sciences. It differs from conventional vaccines in that its production process does not involve an influenza virus nor growth in eggs. By a unique process involving insect cells, Flublok production begins after three weeks. Conventional vaccines normally take four to six months to begin production.
 
Hemagglutinin (HA) is a protein found on the influenza virus that enables it to enter and infect cells. It is also the protein that makes the flu a moving target. Vaccines that protect against infection contain antibodies that target HA. But with each new flu season new strains appear in which their HA sequence has been modified. This is why new vaccines have to be made each year with antibodies that recognize the new HA sequence.