The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued its recommendations for the influenza virus strains to be included in vaccines for the 2026–2027 seasonal flu campaign.

These annual recommendations are based on global surveillance data and guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO), which monitors circulating influenza virus strains worldwide.

For the upcoming season, EMA has advised that manufacturers of live-attenuated and egg-based vaccines include the following three strains:

• A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus
• A/Darwin/1454/2025 (H3N2)-like virus
• B/Tokyo/EIS13-175/2025 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus

For cell-based vaccines, the recommended strains are:

• A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus
• A/Darwin/1415/2025 (H3N2)-like virus
• B/Pennsylvania/14/2025 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus

Notably, the EMA has not recommended inclusion of the B/Yamagata strain for the 2026–2027 season. This follows global observations that the strain has not been detected since March 2020 and is no longer considered a public health threat, aligning with WHO guidance.

As a result, influenza vaccines are expected to transition toward a trivalent formulation targeting three strains instead of the traditional four. However, in regions where quadrivalent vaccines are still in use, manufacturers may include a second influenza B strain based on earlier WHO guidance, such as the B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata lineage)-like virus.

The recommendations were endorsed by EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) during its March 2026 plenary meeting.

Given the constant evolution of influenza viruses, periodic updates to vaccine composition are essential to maintain effectiveness. EMA has advised marketing authorisation holders to submit applications for updated vaccine compositions by 15 June 2026.