Even as China, Hong Kong, and England confirm recent cases of avian influenza, researchers think they might have found a better way to fight the disease in humans.
A new vaccine made with monkey cells, rather than the hard-to-come-by embryonated chicken eggs, looks like a promising answer to H5N1 avian flu infections, according to a June 11 report by Reuters. The vaccine’s developer, Baxter International, recently published the results of a 250-person phase I and II safety trial in the New England Journal of Medicine, the report stated.
The use of cell-based vaccines would allow on-demand production in a pandemic. Currently, egg-based vaccines must be created from fertilized chicken eggs, which are seasonal.
For full text of the trial report, visit the New England Journal of Medicine. And for perspective, check out “Vaccine Preparedness—Are We Ready for the Next Influenza Pandemic?” by Dr. Peter F. Wright.