pandemic flu

Cell-based pandemic vaccine successful in human trial

John Carroll — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:03:39 -0400

Baxter International says that a human trial of its Celvapan bird flu vaccine demonstrated that it spurred an immune response against three strains of the lethal virus. This is the first time that researchers have developed a flu vaccine using a virus grown in cell cultures rather than eggs. The new procedure is expected to be significantly faster and more efficient than the traditional manufacturing method. And that would be particularly important in the event a manufacturer was racing to produce large quantities of a vaccine to prevent a pandemic.

"It's not the complete answer to a possible pandemic, but it's one of many vaccines that look like they may be able to fight off a bird flu pandemic," said John Trenoar of the University of Rochester.

- here's Baxter's release
- read the story in the Chicago Tribune

WHO warns of rising bird flu pandemic risk

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

The headlines may have died down in recent months, but bird flu experts say that the threat of a global pandemic has actually been growing. The World Health Organization outlined the spread of the bird flu virus around the world to 150 experts drawn together to discuss protective measures.

"We can't delude ourselves. The threat of a pandemic influenza has not diminished," said WHO's Keiji Fukuda, coordinator for the Global Influenza Program.

According to the group, the bird flu virus is now endemic in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe as the disease continues to spread in bird populations. There's great concern that at some point the virus will mutate into a new version that is easily spread among humans. Even in its current strains bird flu has infected 382 people and killed 241 of them--an astonishingly high rate of death for a virus. Indonesia has been the hardest hit, counting 108 deaths from the virus.

In response, WHO has been tracking the progress of 16 companies that have been developing new bird flu vaccines and plans to create a stockpile of 150 million doses.

- check out the report from News-Medical
- read the report from the Associated Press

ALSO: Vietnam is reporting a new outbreak of bird flu in one of its southern cities. Report

GSK bird flu vaccine provides more positive data

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 06:59:58 -0500

New trial data on GlaxoSmithKline's experimental bird flu vaccine indicates that the drug works against a variety of subsets of the virus. A trial that recruited volunteers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore showed that the vaccine spurred antibodies that neutralized both the Indonesian and Vietnamese strains of the virus. Earlier trial data for the adjuvanted vaccine, which is nearing official European approval, demonstrated efficacy against Chinese and Turkish strains.

The vaccine uses very low doses of antigens, relying on adjuvants to boost its ability to protect people from H5N1. But despite rapid progress in the field to develop new bird flu vaccines to head off any potential outbreaks, researchers are acutely aware that they're running the risk of being blindsided by a completely new strain of the virus. That possibility has led some experts, including Albert Osterhaus, head of virology at the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands, to conclude that antigens and adjuvants could be stockpiled separately, so that a new, customized mixture could be swiftly developed to protect populations from a disease that could threaten millions of lives.

"If a pandemic breaks out in Indonesia or Thailand, the virus could be in Singapore within two days," said Dr. Helen Oh, who was in charge of the Singapore trials.

- check out the report from the Sydney Morning Herald

Related Article:
GSK wins EMEA approval for pandemic vaccine. Report