The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7452 p579
19 May 2007

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Cell culture vaccine hope

Novartis's Optaflu, an influenza vaccine made in cell culture, rather than in hens' eggs, has been recommended for approval by the EU.

Trials in 3,400 people have shown that the vaccine had comparable efficacy and tolerability to conventional egg-based vaccines. Novartis hopes Optaflu will become the first influenza vaccine to use a mammalian cell line, rather than eggs, for antigen production.