Reducing the Risk of Egg Adaptation: The Role of Cell-Based Influenza Vaccines

2025 PTCE Specialty Pharmacy Day of Education in partnership with Asembia

Program Description

Influenza remains a considerable public health threat globally, with an estimated 40 million illnesses in the United States during the 2023–2024 season. Vaccination is a valuable method for mitigating influenza in the population. However, the burden of influenza remains high, partly due to suboptimal vaccine effectiveness when circulating viruses are mismatched with vaccine strains. This program will discuss concepts of antigenic drift, egg adaptation, and advances in cell-based and other technologies to help address this challenge. Pharmacists have become key health care providers in vaccinating the public against influenza. It is therefore important that they maintain a high level of knowledge about the available vaccines and understand the complex issues that impact their effectiveness. This activity takes a deep dive into the factors affecting vaccine effectiveness, compares cell-based and egg-based technologies, and discusses steps pharmacists can take to overcome barriers to influenza vaccination.

Target audience: Community Pharmacist

Type of activity: Application

Release date: October 28, 2025

Expiration date: October 28, 2026

Time to complete activity: 1.5 hours

Learner level: Intermediate

Fee: Free


Educational Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

1. Investigate the implications of egg adaptation on influenza vaccine effectiveness and the clinical data supporting the use of cell-based influenza vaccines across diverse patient populations.
2. Apply patient-centered counseling strategies to address vaccine hesitancy and recommend appropriate influenza vaccination options based on individual risk factors and current guidelines
3. Identify pharmacist-led initiatives to enhance influenza vaccination rates, collaborating with health care teams to improve patient education, access, and adherence to immunization recommendations