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Successful results from a clinical trial may lead to mass production of a bird flu vaccine by next year.
GlaxoSmithKline PLC announced Wednesday that it has produced a prototype bird flu vaccine that uses a very low dose of antigen to provoke an immune response. The drug maker added a specific adjuvant, or an additive, that stimulates the immune system and increases response to the vaccine. Precursor pandemic vaccines have failed because large amounts of antigen were needed to provoke a strong enough immune response, and in the event of a pandemic using as little antigen as possible is essential to mass production.
The new GSK vaccine successfully produced a strong immune response in more than 80% of the 400 healthy adult volunteers tested in a clinical trial at Belgium.
“This is very significant because it shows the principle that this adjuvant might do the job,” said Dr. Albert Osterhaus, head of the virology department at Erasmus University in the Netherlands.
“With this adjuvant added to the vaccine, provided the rest of the tests are OK, you could make 10 times as much vaccine,” said Osterhaus, emphasizing that it is still a two-dose vaccine.
The prototype vaccine uses an inactivated H5N1 isolated from Indonesia last year, however if the next pandemic is caused by a strain other than the isolated H5, then this particular vaccine will offer no protection at all.
“This vaccine will only give protection against this particular H5N1 strain and possibly other H5N1 strains,” said Osterhaus.
Experts fear that a pandemic flu may be triggered by the widespread epidemics of bird flu, especially if the virus mutates to become contagious between humans. Currently, the H5 is only passed onto a human through close contact with an infected bird. The impending need to protect the world’s billions from a possible pandemic has prompted companies, including Novartis AG and Baxter International Inc. and several others, in a race to develop bird flu vaccines.
[News Source: Yahoo News]
Tags: avian influenza, H5N1, pandemic vaccine, vaccine research
1500 days ago
All around the world people are rejoicing today!
It seems that an inexpensive and effective vaccine has been developed by a British company.
According to MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said this about the new vaccine:
“The data are really very impressive,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “It changes the whole complexion of the issue that we have to face of getting enough vaccine for people who might need it in a pandemic.”
But hold on here!
What is this at the end of the same article?
I mean, right at the bottom of the article and certainly not in the form of a headline?
“Creating a prototype pandemic vaccine, however, does not guarantee that countries will be protected in the event of a flu pandemic.”..
“This vaccine will only give protection against this particular H5N1 strain and possibly other H5N1 strains,” said Osterhaus.
Thus, if the next influenza pandemic is sparked by a subtype other than H5, much of this vaccine may prove of little use” reads the same article. .”
Because it is impossible to predict which influenza strain will spark the next pandemic, it is equally impossible to produce a vaccine that will be completely effective.”
What!!
So we have this great new vaccine, which er.. “may prove of little use”.
I see.
Well…
Not sure what to think now.
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