WHO: First swine flu vax approvals expected in September; Oncothyreon shares leap on Stimuvax report;
by John Carroll |
Aug 6, 2009 9:25am
The World Health Organization said today that the first approvals for a new swine flu vaccine should come in September. Report
The World Health Organization is rushing to assure people that while new swine flu vaccines will be rushed through the clinic, the jabs that will be put to use this fall will be safe. Story
Janet Napolitano, the head of Homeland Security, says the government expects that swine flu will flare up once school starts in a few weeks. And a spike in new cases will come ahead of any vaccine that can be used to guard against the virus. Napolitano also told USE Today that "there will be prioritization of vaccinations" at the beginning of the vaccination campaign. Story
A group of U.S. experts has come up with a rather complicated list of people who should stand at the head of the line for any new swine flu vaccine. The list starts with pregnant women, followed by the caretakers of infants, children and young adults. Report
Shares of Oncothyreon jumped 35 percent on Monday after the company reported that its cancer vaccine Stimuvax was well tolerated among patients. "Today's data are very promising, and make us incrementally more bullish on Stimuvax's long-term potential in non-small cell lung cancer and breast cancer," wrote Rodman and Renshaw analyst Simos Simeonidis. Report
Atlanta-based GeoVax Labs, which is advancing an HIV/AIDS vaccine, offered an update on its ongoing and planned human clinical trials. "The results of the early Phase I clinical work for the preventative version of the vaccine have allowed the company to move up to another level of analysis, Phase IIa human clinical trial," says CEO Robert McNall. "This trial was initiated by the HIV Vaccine Trials Network in February this year and we are pleased to report that the HVTN has currently enrolled 30 percent of the projected participants. On the therapeutic front, we are in the midst of planning the details of a Phase I human clinical trial and expect to begin this trial, assuming FDA approval, in the first quarter of 2010." Release
Researchers at Iowa State are working on a new vaccine to protect pigs from H1N1 and other types of influenza. Story
Vaccine Market
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends the human papillomavirus vaccination for all 11- and 12-year-old girls, but results of a recent survey showed that more than half of Texas physicians do not follow these recommendations. Release