A Gift Card For Flu Shots? Novartis Has 'Em

Novartis, the newest entrant in the flu vaccine market, is trying to give its sales a shot in the arm through the use of flu-shot gift cards, and a recent study is certainly bolstering that effort.

The New England Journal of Medicine reports that annual flu shots are dramatically effective in reducing winter deaths among people over 65. Earlier studies, however, including one released last week, found the annual shots did not appreciably reduce hospitalizations and deaths among elderly Americans.

The new study run by Dr. Nichol, showed the vaccinations helped reduce deaths for any reason, not just the ones directly caused by influenza. The rate of such "all cause" death was cut nearly in half, and hospitalizations for pneumonia fell 27%, among those getting the shots.



Novartis, meanwhile, is touting its new "FluGram" campaign as an opportunity for consumers to take an active role in protecting family and friends from influenza. The FluGram — a gift card of sorts — allows recipients to redeem the card for an ever-popular flu shot.

The card secures an flu vaccination for the card recipient to redeem during the flu season.
Card holders can visit one of the designated community pharmacies to receive their
shot. The cards can be purchased at participating community pharmacies.

Novartis Vaccines, a division of Novartis, is the fifth-largest vaccines manufacturer in the world, and the second-largest supplier of flu vaccines in the U.S.