(Yicai) Nov. 27 -- Four Chinese influenza vaccine makers have logged less combined sales than the biggest producer of such antiviral medication in China last year, mainly due to high public scrutiny and misconceptions.

Hualan Biological Vaccine, GDK Biotechnology, Ab&B Bio-Tech, and BCHT Biotechnology reported flu jab sales of CNY1.1 billion, CNY80.8 million, CNY260 million, and less than CNY185 million (USD150 million, USD11.4 million, USD36.7 million, and less than USD26.1 million), respectively, in 2024, or about CNY1.6 billion in total. In comparison, Sunshine Lake Pharma saw sales of its main antiviral drug Oseltamivir top CNY2.6 billion.

Public misunderstandings about flu vaccines, including believing that the jab is ineffective and concerns about side effects, remain significant obstacles for manufacturers, industry insiders pointed out.

"Flu drugs primarily serve a therapeutic purpose, targeting individual patients, while vaccines are aimed at healthy individuals or high-risk groups," a jab maker told Yicai. "Compared to antiviral drugs, the public has higher expectations for the safety of vaccines but lower tolerance for side effects."

The role of vaccines in influenza prevention and control has not been fully realized, Wang Dayan, director of the National Influenza Center under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, said in a recent article. The fundamental reason for this is not the jabs, but the insufficient vaccination coverage, Wang pointed out.

It is essential to strengthen science popularization efforts to eliminate misconceptions, enhance the accessibility and convenience of vaccination services, improve the vaccination service system, explore more flexible funding mechanisms for jab costs, and expand public coverage of beneficial policies, Wang noted.

Editor: Martin Kadiev