The DRIVE project has successfully completed a pilot study, utilising data from 5 collaborating sites in the 2017/18 influenza season. The main objective of this season – the first one for the five-year project – was to establish and test DRIVE’s platform for brand-specific influenza vaccine effectiveness studies.
The pilot study is described in a full report and two summaries, available at the DRIVE Website. The learnings from the pilot have been implemented in preparation for this winter’s influenza season during which a total of 13 collaborating sites will contribute their study data and expertise to the project.
The European public health sector has long-term experience in studying the effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccines. DRIVE (Development of Robust and Innovative Vaccine Effectiveness) is a public-private partnership that adds brand-specific data to this body of knowledge in order to comply with updated European regulatory requirements and to inform healthcare and public health professionals.