In recent news, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)announced that it has started human trials of its two new bird flu vaccines. These bird flu vaccines, if found effective in treating the H5N1 influenza virus will be ready for manufacture towards the end of the year.
GSK believes that its vaccines will work better than the ones made by Sanofi-Aventis, a rival company. GSK used adjuvants (the additives on vaccines that boost the immune system and make the vaccine more efficient), which is believed to be their advantage over others.
GSK plans to test much lower doses of its vaccine in 800 volunteers in Germany and Belgium, starting at one-quarter of the current dose.
The adjuvant tested in the 400 Belgian volunteers will be alum, already used in some vaccines, and the German trial will use a secret mixture of proprietary adjuvants the company has been working on, the Glaxo officials said.
Dr. Bruce Innis, a viral vaccine expert and vice president at Glaxo, said if the adjuvants work as expected, the vaccines might protect people from ''drifted" strains of H5N1 -- those that have evolved slightly and do not precisely match the strain of virus used in the vaccine. ''We think such a vaccine could offer a better option to governments with regard to stockpiling," Innis said.
Read the full report at Boston Globe.
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