6 October 2023
Vaccines in BNF Publications
Vaccine monographs in the BNF and BNF for Children have been updated to more clearly identify whether a vaccine is live or not.
For each vaccine monograph, the Drug action section includes a short summary of the vaccine type. Detailed information on the vaccine’s mechanism of action can be found in the corresponding Treatment summaries. The classifications, which are used to group similar vaccines, have also been updated.
For some vaccines, such as the influenza vaccines, live and inactivated preparations are available, so information has been separated into two monographs. Users should ensure they are referring to the correct monograph when looking for information; to navigate between related monographs, use the cross-reference in the Drug action section.
The vaccines class monograph has also been reviewed and updated. Information that is common to all vaccines can be found in the Vaccines, general class monograph. A new class monograph Vaccines, live contains information that is only relevant to live vaccines. Some monographs may have additional information that is specific to the individual vaccine. In such cases, information from the class monograph(s) and the individual monograph need to be considered together.
Changes will be seen in the October 2023 digital update and BNF app, and will appear in the 2024 print editions of BNF and BNF for Children.
