Swine Flu Pandemic May Spur Universal Vaccine, Scientists Say
Preparations for the pandemic have already helped more than double worldwide vaccine manufacturing capacity to 900 million doses from 400 million, the scientists from Novartis AG, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Erasmus University and the World Health Organization said in the article.
“Although the H1N1 pandemic has the potential to cause a social and economic emergency, it also provides an opportunity to rethink our approach to influenza virus disease and to develop more effective vaccines and economically sustainable solutions for developing and developed countries,” researchers led by Rino Rappuoli of Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Srl wrote in the report.
Companies are already seeking an influenza vaccine that will prevent most strains of flu, a goal that has eluded scientists for about 60 years. Johnson & Johnson purchased a stake in Crucell NV Sept. 28 to gain access to the Dutch companys experimental flu-mAb technology, which is based on proteins that are designed to target invading viruses and may lead to a universal flu vaccine. Israeli company BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd. aims to show that its experimental shot works in people by next year.
Deaths
The H1N1 influenza virus has killed at least 3,917 people and spread to 191 countries since its discovery in Mexico and the U.S. in April, according to the WHO. Modern science and technology have left the world “better prepared” for the outbreak than for any previous pandemic, the scientists said.
Research toward the development of a universal vaccine should be accelerated by testing adjuvants, additives that extend vaccine supplies, the scientists said. Antiviral drugs to treat the symptoms of influenza should be further developed, they said.
Developing countries should improve influenza surveillance and add the vaccine to childhood immunization programs to reduce the high rate of child deaths from the illness, the scientists wrote.