Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

Real-World Evidence in the Prevention of Influenza

We are pleased to announce a new Article Collection in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, dedicated to the important role of real-world evidence (RWE) studies in the prevention of influenza.

Although considered a common infection, influenza has a relatively high mortality rate in vulnerable groups, and thus the US CDC recommends for all patients 6 months and older to receive an influenza vaccination every year.

While randomized controlled trials remain the gold standard for understanding the efficacy and safety of drugs under highly controlled conditions, RWE studies help to reveal a vaccine’s true effectiveness and safety in patient populations. Integration of RWE into decision-making processes reflects its growing importance as a supportive tool for both clinicians and patients, but also in shaping broader healthcare decisions and regulatory approvals. RWE studies are especially important in influenza, given the seasonality of variants and changes to vaccine antigen composition every year.

Given the global importance and of RWE in understanding and managing influenza in a variety of patient populations, Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics invites submissions of original research articles, reviews, and perspectives exploring real-world evidence in influenza immunization.

The Collection, led by Editor-In-Chief Dr. Ronald Ellis, will be included in Taylor & Francis’ Real-World Evidence Series. Papers published within the series will benefit from additional promotional activities across Taylor and Francis, increasing the discoverability and visibility of your research.

The Collection is open to submissions across the broad spectrum of RWE research, with a particular interest in the following areas:

• Clinical Trials evaluating the effectiveness and safety of vaccination and related interventions in routine, real-world clinical practice.
• Observational cohort studies using real-world data.
• Patient registry studies utilizing data from IQVIA, SEER, NHANES & UK Biobank. All patient registry studies must receive approval from relevant ethics committee and/or institutional review board before any patient data collection or enrolment begins.
• Comparative Effectiveness, Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety research utilizing Electronic Health Record (HER) data.
• Integration of RWE with health technology & AI, where results provide actionable clinical insights.

Keywords: Influenza; Influenza vaccine; Real-world evidence; Antigen variant; Real-world data

Meet the Guest Advisor

Dr. Ronald Ellis has >40 years of scientific, managerial and executive R&D experience in start-up, small, medium and large biotech, and pharma companies, and is an independent consultant. He has championed or led R&D efforts on a wide range of vaccines and immunotherapeutics from discovery or in-licensure through development and clinical to commercial licensure and launch in major markets. These efforts have included several licensed products which together have annual worldwide sales ~$12B.