VACCINE REPORT

New Results for GSK's Flu Vaccine

GlaxoSmithKline (London, UK) has announced clinical trial data from two new studies, which show that its pre-pandemic flu vaccine, formulated with GSK's proprietary adjuvant system, works against diverse strains of H5N1. It is hoped that the immune response elicited with this vaccine could help prepare the immune system to respond against other versions of the virus.

Sanofi Gets Approval from FDA Panel

An FDA advisory panel has recommended that the agency approve Sanofi-Pasteur's (Lyon, France) H5N1 bird flu vaccine.The panel voted 13-0 with one abstention.The vaccines and related biological products advisory committee agreed earlier that the data were sufficient to support the vaccine's effectiveness during a pandemic.

BioCryst Collaborates to Battle Bird Flu

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Birmingham, AL) and Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Osaka, Japan) have signed an exclusive license agreement to develop and commercialize BioCryst's lead influenza neuraminidase inhibitor, peramivir, in Japan for the treatment of seasonal and potentially life-threatening human influenza.

G7 to Sign $ 1.5 Billion Vaccine Pact

The Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations plans to sign an agreement to provide $1.5 billion dollars to develop vaccines for diseases including HIWAIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria that largely affect developing countries, reported Reuters on February 6,2007. Under the program, donor countries will pledge to buy vaccines that are being developed at a preferential price when they are available. The G7 group includes US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and Canada.

Acambis Kicks Back with Restructuring

Following a series of recent setbacks, Acambis pic (Cambridge, UK) has initiated a restructuring, aimed at increasing the focus of its resources upon key programmes and core operational capabilities, and significantly lower its cost base. As part of restructuring, the company has also appointed Ian Garland as the new CEO and implemented other management changes.