Significant Advance in H5N1 Flu Vaccine Program
This article reports on significant advances reported by GlalxoSmithKline on their work with a potential bird flu vaccine.
GSK Reports Significant Advance in H5N1 Pandemic Flu Vaccine Program
The main point is that they have managed to get a very good immune response from a low dose level. Here’s the key qoute from the press release.
The vaccine, which uses a proprietary adjuvant, enabled over 80% of subjects who received 3.8 micrograms of antigen to demonstrate a strong seroprotective immune response. This level of seroprotection meets or exceeds target criteria set by regulatory agencies for registration of influenza vaccines. Efficacy results at these levels of antigen dosage have also not been reported for any other H5N1 vaccine in development to date, including those using other adjuvants such as alum.
This is truly a breakthrough since getting enough vaccine to treat enough people has long been a major concern.
Technorati Tags: bird flu, drug development, GlaxoSmithKline, H5N1
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July 26th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
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.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
I should have clarifed that I wasn’t excited necessarily excited about the bird flu vaccine itself but about the ability to have an adjunct that increses the potency. This sholud allows for low doses of vaccines regardless of the exact flu type. I’m not an expert in this area, but I this proprietary adjunct would be one of the first thing I would try with any such related vaccine.
It would be helpful to have a link to the online article you refer to.