Maker Calls New Bird Flu Vaccine More EffectiveBy DENISE GRADY Published: July 27, 2006
"A new vaccine against bird flu developed by GlaxoSmithKline is more effective than any previous version and works at a far smaller dose, the company reported yesterday on its Web site.
The ability to immunize people with small doses greatly increases the possibility of making enough vaccine to protect much of the population in the event of a pandemic.
Until now, high dosage requirements have been a major obstacle to making a vaccine for avian flu. An earlier vaccine, made a year ago by Sanofi Pasteur and stockpiled by the government, required such large doses that it would be difficult or impossible to keep up with a pandemic.
GlaxoSmithKline said it had tested its vaccine in Belgium in 400 healthy people, ages 18 to 60, who were then given blood tests to measure their immune systems’ response. The tests showed that more than 80 percent of the subjects were protected by two shots, each containing only 3.8 micrograms of an antigen, an immunity-stimulating substance made from the bird flu virus.
By contrast, the first Sanofi vaccine protected only about 50 percent of the test subjects, who received two shots with much higher doses, 90 micrograms each..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/27/health/27vaccine.html?_r=1&oref=slogin