New vaccine target to fight pandemic flu
Ferrets have successfully been
vaccinated against a strain of bird flu |
Pandemic influenza vaccination is a step closer to reality according to a vaccine development company. Preliminary results from a preclinical challenge study and a phase I clinical trial for the ACAM-FLU-A vaccine were announced by Acambis earlier this month.
ACAM-FLU-A targets a protein called M2e that is found on the surface
of all influenza “A” strains. All flu pandemics are caused
by strains that are type A. The protein does not alter between species,
so the vaccine will not need reformulating every year to match the seasonal
variations of the prominent strains.
The preclinical study was conducted on ferrets, which are commonly used
in flu research because of their susceptibility to infection with both
human flu and avian flu. The results show the vaccine to be effective
against the strain of the H5N1 virus that was responsible for an outbreak
of avian flu in Vietnam in 2004. None of the ferrets in the placebo group
survived infection with the virus compared with 70 per cent of the vaccinated
group.
Human tolerance and immunogenic response was demonstrated in the phase
I, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that involved 79
subjects. Acambis is planning to submit the results of both studies for
publication in due course.
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Hospital
Pharmacist