The pharmaceutical company, Baxter has developed a new vaccine that promises protection against a wide range of Bird flu virus. The vaccine, produced in 11weeks time, used a cell-based technology. The vaccine is capable of inducing antibodies that neutralize different strains of the H5N1 virus. It is still in the early phase of clinical trials.
H5N1, the bird flu virus has been detected in many countries. It has caused maximum damage in Asiatic nations such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand where different strains have been reported.Dr Noel Barret, Vice President of Global R&D Vaccines, Baxter AG reports that the vaccine is working well even at low dosage level.
A study conducted on mice found that all the mice immunized with the vaccine survived the Vietnam strain, the Hong Kong strain and the Indonesian strain of the H5N1.
The result of a clinical trial on humans shows that nearly 75 percent of those immunized with the vaccine were able to produce antibodies.
The side effects caused because of the vaccine were found to be minor like mild headache and a slight fever.
Baxter is planning to conduct a larger study with at least 600 patients to determine the optimal dosage in humans for the vaccine to be effective. No vaccine against the bird flu is currently available on the market.
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