Posted on 04/18/2007 12:08:04 AM PDT by neverdem
The first vaccine against avian flu won government approval yesterday, even as federal officials conceded its usefulness in a flu pandemic might be limited.
The vaccine, made by Sanofi Pasteur, is directed against the H5N1 strain of influenza virus, which some public health experts say could possibly spark a deadly epidemic of flu in humans.
The federal government has already stockpiled enough of the vaccine to treat 6.5 million people. But yesterday’s approval by the Food and Drug Administration means the vaccine is no longer considered experimental and therefore could be dispensed during a pandemic without requiring each recipient to sign a form giving informed consent.
The vaccine, approved for adults 18 to 64, will not be available for sale to the general public. It will be dispensed only by the government in the event of a pandemic under rules that have yet to be fully worked out.
The vaccine, however, has several shortcomings. It is expected to protect only about 45 percent of people who get it. Moreover, achieving even the 45 percent rate of protection requires two injections 28 days apart, which could also slow the response during a fast-moving flu outbreak.
It also requires high doses, limiting the number of injections that could be produced during a pandemic. The two injections combined contain 180 micrograms of antigen, the piece of the H5N1 virus designed to spur immunity. By contrast, a conventional flu shot contains 45 micrograms of antigen: 15 micrograms for each of the three strains it protects against.
Norman Baylor, head of the vaccine office at the Food and Drug Administration, conceded the new vaccine was an “interim measure” until better products could be developed.
“Ideally, yes, you would like a vaccine that would have a higher efficacy” and that would also require a single dose...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Okay, everybody rush out to get this “might help” drug. Just another useless item to have injected into the body. But hey, can’t deny a money maker.
Next time, try to read the article before responding indignantly.
1. This isn't a drug, it's a vaccine.
2. You can't rush out and get it, because the US Government controls 100% of the supply and will only dole it out in the event of a pandemic.
3. Of course it's useless -- there is currently no Avian Flu pandemic. If avian flu evolves in such a way as to infect human beings more effectively, you just might find it useful. But nobody's taking it now.
Okay, everyone rush out to get this useless drug during a pandemic. Satisfied?
6.5 million doses, requires 2 per individual, 3.25 million people—will that even cover the Federal employees?
ping...(Thanks, neverdem!)
Probably not. But purchasing was limited prior to FDA approval. Maybe they'll buy more doses now.
No, but it is enough to create a stampede and we know how much the mainstream media loves a stampede.
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