What follows is a summary of production methods (culturing methods, specifically) for this coming season’s flu shots. In general, not much has changed beyond the viral formulation. All flu vaccines for this coming season are ethically produced, with essentially the same mix of avian cells (embryonated chicken eggs), insect cells (Sf9) and non-human mammalian cells (MDCK canine). We have summarized this information for all of the available and currently approved flu shots, although some of the flu shots deliver a viral formulation from prior years. Links to a number of FDA pages are provided – one for each of the vaccines and a link describing the 2022-2023 viral formulation.
Here’s the line-up:
Viral Formulation for 2022 – 2023: Influenza Vaccines for the 2022-2023 Season | FDA
Approved Influenza Shots for 2022-2023 Season
Audenz – MDCK cells (non-human mammalian, canine). Package Insert – AUDENZ (fda.gov)
Fluad Quadrivalent – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). Package Insert – FLUAD QUADRIVALENT (fda.gov)
Fluad – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). Package Insert – FLUAD (fda.gov)
Afluria Quadrivalent – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). Package Insert – AFLURIA QUADRIVALENT. (fda.gov)
Flucelvax Quadrivalent – MDCK cells (non-human mammalian, canine). Package Insert – Flucelvax Quadrivalent (fda.gov)
Flulaval Quadrivalent – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). Package Insert – FluLaval Quadrivalent (fda.gov)
Afluria – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). Package Insert – Afluria (fda.gov)
Flulaval Trivalent – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). flulaval (fda.gov)
FluMist Trivalent and Quadrivalent – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). Package Insert – FluMist (fda.gov)
Fluarix Trivalent – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). FLUARIX (fda.gov)
Fluvirin Trivalent – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). Package Insert – Fluvirin (fda.gov)
AgriFlu Trivalent – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). Package Insert – AGRIFLU (fda.gov)
Fluzone, Fluzone High-Dose and Fluzone Intradermal Trivalent – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). 271/371/372 Fluzone all presentations including High-Dose (fda.gov)
Flucelvax Trivalent – MDCK cells (non-human mammalian, canine). download (fda.gov)
FluBlok Trivalent – Sf9 Insect cells. Package Insert – Flublok (archive-it.org)
FluBlok Quadrivalent – Sf9 Insect cells. Package Insert – Flublok Quadrivalent (fda.gov)
Fluarix Quadrivalent – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). Packaget Insert – FLUARIX QUADRIVALENT (fda.gov)
Fluzone Intradermal Quadrivalent and High Dose Quadrivalent – Avian (embryonated chicken eggs). 271/371/372 Fluzone all presentations including High-Dose (fda.gov)
Note: Italics signify an approved influenza shot with a viral spectrum from prior years. Click on the links for more details.
Wow, I thought they were all the same.
Nope. You know how it is . . . somebody always has to do it differently.
Actually, it is good that not all are reliant on chicken eggs for culturing. The egg supply, like so many other farm products, is prone to unpredictable fluctuations. On the whole, it is a good thing that there are many ways to skin a cat.
Do any of these use mRNA technology?
No, they do not. The active ingredients in the flu shots are grown in cultures – avian cells (chicken eggs), canine cells and insect cells. That’s traditional vaccine design and production. mRNA designs instruct the human cell to produce the proteins that initiate the immune response.
Is there an updated list for 22-23 flu vaccines regarding both connections to abortion and mRNA technology.
Thank you, I wish to avoid both.
Michelle, this post provides information on the cell lines, strains or culturing medium used. None of the flu shots are ethically compromised with aborted fetal cells. Also, none of the flu shots use mRNA technology. Moderna has a flu shot in clinical trials that is mRNA-based, but it is not approved, and it will not see authorization prior to approval as there are plenty of flu shots already in the market. The EUA is not applicable in this case.
https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-initiates-phase-3-study-mrna-based-influenza-vaccine
It must be noted that these are clinical trials. The vaccine is not yet approved and is not available. Moderna and Pfizer are wedded to mRNA technology, it appears.
Is there data on how safe the flu shots are for female young adults? My daughter is a nursing student. Should we avoid the flu shot for her? This
is not a moral question but a safety question.
I did not research safety data, although flu shots have been known to cause a variety of side effects. Historically, most of these effects were symptomatically similar to the flu, although of much lower severity. With respect to your daughter, I would recommend asking her doctor, as her specific circumstances and medical history have a great deal to do with any risks posed by the flu shot.
Influenza Disease & Vaccine Information – Historical and Safety Data
Find the Information You Need to Make an Informed Vaccine Decision
https://www.nvic.org/disease-vaccine/influenza
I am looking for a flu shot that is NOT of canine/insect cells, as I follow a biblically clean diet. Thank you so much for this info! It is exactly what I need to know.
What about the new astra zeneca nasal influenza vaccine?
Kathy, that vaccine’s trade name is FluMist. It is on the list and it is not ethically compromised.
While it is clear that these flu vaccines are not using fetal cells in the production of the vaccines, can you tell if fetal cells were used at any stage of the testing and development of these vaccines?
We have not seen any evidence of fetal cell lines/strains used in their development or preclinical testing.
Can you detox from any of these vaccines ?
It is not clear at this time what one can do to mitigate the effects of vaccines in general, and the mRNA vaccines, specifically. This is a question you might ask your doctor as additional research brings more information to the table. Just my lay person’s view, it does not seem possible to become unvaccinated. Conditions manifesting themselves after vaccination and due to vaccination may be treatable, but reversal seems like a very tall order.
Why would anyone take this injection anyway? Stay away from all flu shots and work on a healthy immune system. Flu shots are still bad for your body.
Some jobs require or pressure employees to get them; set hoops and hurdles or “keep score” in other ways.
Meadow, one can claim a conscience/religious exemption for the flu shots as well. It requires effort, but it can be done. Here’s the truth – flu shots have a miserable record of efficacy over the years. Coupling this with any concerns about bodily autonomy may get some folks motivated to claim exemptions for the flu shot, too.
Can you provide a reference for the “miserable record of efficacy” for flu shots? It would be well to be prepared with good solid information in this regard, should we need to make the case for avoiding the flu shot as well.
Hello from Australia
Not sure about the difference between countries and the flu shot,
but my parents received the flu shot and a magnet stuck to their arm as well.
That to me doesn’t seem right.
Porque aunque no sean de ARNm llevan adyuvante y entre ellos material que no debetia estar ahí, que producen esos fenómenos de imantarse. Yo la última vez que me puse una vacuna, fue en enero de 2020, en 2021 cuando se escuchó sobre personas imantada, hice la prueba y me quedaban objetos pegados. También a mis 2 sobrinas, que solo tenían las propias de la infancia. Desde ese momento. Nunca más
Una vacuna
” flu shots have a miserable record of efficacy over the years. ” Like Meadows in response to above would be interested in having the link to that news.
Here’s a link to the CDC’s data on flu shot effectiveness by year. Rarely does effectiveness exceed 50% with statistical credibility. Whenever you see a confidence interval with a negative lower bound and a positive upper bound, you have no credible relationship between the drug and an effective outcome.
Do you have any information re the use of fetal products in animal vaccination ? thank you
Thank you for all you do and all these updates. I sure don’t trust CDC with anything anymore. I heard Dr Peter McCullough state the 22/23 Flu shots are only 16% efficacy and pneumonia shots even worse at only 9% efficacy.
The flu shots do have a mediocre efficacy history. The average for the last couple of decades is in the 25-30% range (generous estimate from the CDC). Personally, I’ve never had a flu shot and I’ve come down with influenza precisely one time in my life. Taking these into consideration, I think I’ll pass. I can’t stand needles.
Trying to find pro-life info on Tamiflu anti-viral. Is it effective & ethical? mRNA, monoclonal antibodies (Julianne on X/Twitter extensive research, developed via aborted baby parts to ‘humanize’ mice to behave like human immune system to produce the antibodies) etc.?
Tamiflu was ethically developed and tested, and is ethically manufactured. Embryonated chicken eggs were used to culture a variety of influenza viral strains during pre-clinical testing. The drug is manufactured using an e. coli medium. No aborted fetal cell lines were used during the drug’s development cycle, it contains no mRNA nor monoclonal antibodies and the development process did not use animal models of any sort.
Thank you for the information! Pointing out the CI lower and upper bound prompted me to take a second look at something I had not noticed previously.
My mother and father had the standard flu shot here in Australia. And what is inside it, i don’t trust anymore, as a magnet such to her arm!
This should not be the case.
What about the 2023-24 flu shots? My daughter is pregnant and wants me to get the flu shot to help protect the baby due in October. Any info on this year?
Jo, an update for the coming flu season was just posted and is available on our home page. To cut to the chase, all flu shots this year are ethically manufactured. There are no material changes from last year and there have been no mRNA designs approved. Follow this link to the new article if you want more information.
The link has disappeared. Where can I find the new updated ethical flu shot list for 2023-2024? Thank you.
Chris, I sent a link to your email. You should have it shortly.
Hello what is the best way to move forward with a religous exemption if the flu vaccine has no connection to aborted fetuses or cell lines?
Are you required to get the flu shot by your employer or school? That’s very unusual, even if you work in health care.
If that’s the case, then you’re looking at making an argument for individual sovereignty and bodily autonomy. There is scriptural support for this.
What does “ETHICALLY PRODUCED” even mean?
I think most of us are looking for a simple answer to this question:
Were human diploid cells used in *any way* in pre-production, production, and/or post production of the 2023 flu shot(s). If yes, to any of these questions, which flu shots?
The answers are “No” to your questions. By the way, ‘diploid’ is not enough if you’re question centers on the use of aborted fetal cell lines and/or tissue. The term ‘diploid’ means the cell in question has two full sets of chromosomes. It does not have anything to do with the origin of the cell, be it fetal or adult.
Ethically produced, as used in the article, cuts through the jargon. On this site, there is uniform agreement that the use of aborted fetal material in any form – cell lines, tissue, etc. – is unethical. Therefore, ‘ethically produced’ means none of these materials are used in development, pre-clinical testing or manufacture.
I hope this clarifies things sufficiently.
What about Pneumovax and Prevnar?
Pneumococcal vaccines, specifically the ones mentioned, are ethically derived, tested and manufactured. The principal reason for this has to do with the nature of the pathogens. Pneumonia vaccines produce an immune response to a bacterial pathogen, not a viral one. While a virus needs a host cell in order to replicate, a bacterium can replicate on its own provided it has a source of nutrition. Replicating the pathogen is an essential part of the development and testing process, and executing this is much easier (and less expensive) for a bacterium than it is for a virus. This gives us a fairly reliable rule of thumb:
If a vaccine targets a bacterial pathogen, it is almost certain to be ethically developed and tested. A viral pathogen? Well, we have to look into that fairly carefully.
Anyone know about ethics and safety of Tdap for older kids and adults? I did not see it on the tainted list. Also want to make sure it is non-mRNA, and no other ingredient safety issues.
Andrew, the Tdap shots are ethically developed, tested and produced. There’s a note at the bottom of the chart informing the reader if a vaccine is not listed it is known to be ethical (or it is new and requires review).
Tdap vaccines are bacterial countermeasures, not viral. This is an important distinction. Bacteria have no problems replicating on their own – all they need is nutrients. A virus needs a host cell in order to replicate. Bacterial countermeasures are typically ethical in all respects because cell lines are not required for replication and the testing is effectively done on animal models. Hope this helps.
Any update for the 2024 flu?
An update for the 2024 – 2025 flu season will be coming soon.
Any update for the 2024 – 2025 flu shot? We have to turn our exemption request by end of August.
Yes. Check the FAQs for a link.
Yes. Check our FAQs for a summary and a link to more detailed information.
Yes. Check our FAQs for a summary and a link to more detailed information.