GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced that they have developed and
tested a low-dose vaccine for the deadly H5N1 virus. The vaccine has succeeded
in initial clinical trials in humans.
Tests in 400 healthy people, ages 18 to 60 injected with the new
vaccine showed that 80% achieved the levels of immune protection necessary to
fight H5N1, as determined by the regulating health agencies.
This level of protection was achieved with only two small doses
per person. The doses were 3.8 micrograms each.
This is the first time that small does of a vaccine against H5N1
have worked adequately. Previous attempts to produce a low dose vaccine have
required doses as high as 180 micrograms.
In earlier trials by other manufacturers, similar preparations
elicited a significant immune response only when given as two doses of 90
micrograms each. That equals twelve times the amount needed in standard flu
vaccines. Only about half the tests subjects achieved adequate immune system
response.
Companies have tried to skirt this problem by the use of an
added booster chemical called an adjuvant. Unfortunately, adjutants haven't
worked well enough to justify their usage- which means the vaccines were not
great candidates either.
GlaxoSmithKline says its success in this latest trial is due to
the use of a new proprietary adjuvant.
GlaxoSmithKline also says that the vaccine may prove useful
against other strains of H5N1. This is important because the virus keeps
mutating, and could change significantly between now and the the time vaccine
production can be ramped up.
What Does This Mean To You?
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was quoted as saying GlaxoSmithKline's findings
were "very, very impressive." Then he went on to point out that the results were
based on blood tests, not real-life exposure to the virus.
So, this could indeed be a breakthrough, but it is no magic
bullet. It will still take many months to produce the vaccine in quantity, and
even then the quantity will be inadequate to meet demand- probably for years.
GlaxoSmithKline's production capacity for seasonal flu vaccine
is currently 60 million to 70 million doses a year, which reflects how much of
the new vaccine it can produce in the next year. By 2008, it expects to be able
to make 150 million doses a year.
Meanwhile the virus may mutate into something far more dangerous
than it is now. And the vaccine may or may not be able to handle the mutation.
The bottom line is still to be prepared. Until we know
positively that this solution works... and you, your family, and everyone with
whom you might come into contact have been vaccinated... you remain at risk.
About the Author:
William Prescott is a health care researcher and author, focusing on science-based CAM (Complimentary and Alternative) healthcare solutions to contemporary medical challenges. |
