(Yicai) Nov. 27 -- Four Chinese vaccine makers sold about CNY1.6 billion of influenza jabs last year, less than the country’s biggest producer, underscoring how flu shot uptake is struggling amid public wariness.

Public misunderstanding about flu jabs, including that they are ineffective or fearing side effects, remains a major barrier to uptake, according to industry insiders.

Hualan Biological Vaccine, GDK Biotechnology, Ab&B Bio-Tech, and BCHT Biotechnology reported flu jab sales of CNY1.1 billion (USD155 million), CNY81 million (USD11.4 million), CNY260 million, and CNY185 million for 2024. Similar sales at Sunshine Lake Pharma, whose oseltamivir has the largest share of China’s influenza vaccine market, topped CNY2.6 billion.

“Flu drugs are mainly used to treat patients, whereas flu vaccines target healthy people or people at high risk,” a representative for one maker told Yicai. “Compared with antiviral drugs, the public expects a higher level of safety for vaccines, but their tolerance for side effects is much lower.”

The role of inoculation in preventing influenza has not yet been fully realized, Wang Dayan, director of the National Influenza Center of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, said in a recent article. The root cause lies not in the shots themselves, but in insufficient coverage, he pointed out.

Wang said public education needs to be strengthened to dispel misconceptions, the convenience and availability of vaccination services should be improved, the vaccination system should be enhanced, more flexible mechanisms for financing jab costs should be looked at, and policies that benefit the public should be expanded.

Editor: Martin Kadiev