Health News
Novartis to test swine flu vaccine this month
Jul 16, 2009, 8:01 GMT
Geneva - The Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG said Thursday it would begin clinical trials of a vaccine for swine flu before the end of the month.
In a statement on its second quarter results, the drugmaker said it was 'making good progress' on the vaccine.
Novartis said it was using both traditional egg-based manufacturing as well as a faster, cell-based vaccine production method it has developed.
The World Health Organization declared swine flu, known technically as A(H1N1), to be pandemic in June - meaning it had spread globally.
The health agency's officials have said there will be a global need for vaccines come autumn, though yields from early production attempts were low and, in general, global manufacturing capacity is smaller than needed.
Including obtaining the proper licensing for use from local health authorities, developed economies could see a vaccine being delivered to clinics by October, experts in several countries have said recently.
Poorer nations might face hurdles in obtaining and paying for the vaccine once it was ready, the WHO has warned.
While the virus was spreading around the world, the severity of the illness was believe to be mostly mild, with the overwhelming majority of patients making quick recoveries. Antivirals, except in some rare and isolated cases, were effective against the new influenza.
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