Experimental vaccine against H5N1 bird flu virus shows good response
A trial of an experimental vaccine against the H5N1 bird flu virus shows it produced a good immune response in healthy volunteers, scientists said on Thursday.
The vaccine made by a Sanofi Pasteur, a unit of the French drug company Sanofi Aventis, is based on a modified strain of the H5N1 virus.
Researchers tested various formulations of the vaccine with and without an adjuvant, an additive that can increase effectiveness. They found two 30 microgram doses with an adjuvant induced the highest antibody response after 42 days.
“The vaccine that we tested appeared to be safe and well-tolerated and we did see a good immune response, in particular in one of the doses tested,” said Dr Melanie Saville, of Sanofi Pasteur who headed the trial team.
She added that the results, reported online by The Lancet medical journal, were quite encouraging but further research was needed.
In an earlier trial, a vaccine made by Sanofi produced a satisfactory immune response at two doses of 90 micrograms. The dosage is important because the less vaccine needed; the more people can be vaccinated in the event of a pandemic.
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