NicVax

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Nabi Pharmaceuticals said March 8 that it closed an option and license agreement for the smoking vaccine candidate NicVAx with GlaxoSmithKline, the Associated Press reported.

TEL AVIV — Israel's said Feb. 21 it had signed an agreement with Novartis to jointly investigate the feasibility of developing vaccines using its VaxiSome technology, including an improved flu vaccine, Reuters reported Feb. 21.

HPV

A second vaccine to protect against human papillomavirus, or HPV, has been approved for use in Canada, CBC News reported Feb. 9.

JERUSALEM —There are currently 4.6 million doses in the country as only 700,000 have been used, The Jerusalem Post reported Feb. 9.

A vaccine introduced in 2000 has been highly effective in reducing the number of severe lung, blood and brain infections in infants and children. But at the same time, a serious and sometimes fatal complication has become more common.

Manufacturer Bharat Biotech on Feb. 3 delivered its billionth vaccine dose and announced plans to invest Rs. 250 crore in two years to carry forward clinical trials in different disciplines, the India Gazette announced Feb.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

A vaccine could cut tuberculosis cases among HIV-positive Africans by almost two-fifths, a U.S. study suggests.

World Health Organization

United Nations officials have stressed the need for a strongly coordinated effort to bring vital assistance to the roughly 3 million people affected by last week’s earthquake in Haiti.

Dr. Eric von Hofe

WORCESTER, Mass. — Generex Biotechnology Corp. announced Jan. 19 the presentation of the immuno-therapeutics vaccine technology platform and product pipeline of its wholly owned subsidiary, Antigen Express Inc.

Dengue Transmission

HONOLULU — Hawaii Biotech Inc. announced Jan. 7 that it has completed recruitment and dosing in a multiple dose Phase 1 clinical study of its dengue virus monovalent vaccine.

Flu Vaccine

Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG announced Jan. 8 that France canceled 7 million of the 16 million ordered doses of H1N1 pandemic flu vaccine.

WASHINGTON — The United States has not made a decision on whether to cancel or sell any of its orders for the H1N1 vaccine, unlike some countries in Europe, a federal health official said Jan. 7.

H1N1

Scientists in Vienna have developed a new technique for producing vaccines for H1N1 based on insect cells, according to a report by ScienceDaily on Jan. 4.

Bob Graham and Jim Talent

This commentary was written by Bob Graham and Jim Talent ?and published in The Washington Post on Jan. 4.

Needle-free Vaccine

Intercell is offering free flights and hotel accommodation to 900 volunteers being recruited in the UK and Germany who are prepared to test a remedy for travelers’ diarrhea.

Streptococcus Pneumoniae

Along with rolling out the (five-in-one vaccine to check pneumonia as planned, the union health ministry will launch an impact study in one high-mortality state before deciding on introducing pneumococcal conjugate vaccine as part of the India’s national

SAN DIEGO -- Vical Inc. announced Dec. 22 that it and the University of Washington received U.S. Patent No. 7,628,993 covering DNA vaccines for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2).

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. was recently selected by China Business Media as one of China's Top 10 most competitive companies listed overseas for 2009.

SAN DIEGO — Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology will take aim at several of the world's most dangerous infectious diseases — tuberculosis, malaria and dengue virus.

World Health Organization

Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and Mongolia will be the first three countries to receive donated supplies of pandemic H1N1 vaccine funneled through the World Health Organization.

WASHINGTON — Vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur is recalling 800,000 doses of its pediatric H1N1 swine flu vaccine because it is not as potent as it should be, U.S. officials said Dec. 15.

World Health Organization

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Two more people died of H1N1 flu in the Gaza Strip on Dec. 13, bringing to 10 the total number of Gazans who have been killed by the disease, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Gum Disease

A vaccine to treat severe gum disease is being developed in a new collaboration announced Dec. 10 between Sanofi Pasteur and CSL Limited.

World Health Organization

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has accepted South Korea's offer of drugs to stem an outbreak of H1N1 influenza, in what will be the first direct government aid since relations soured last year.

Blood Collection

A German research team has discovered that a severe pandemic scenario could quickly lead to a deficit of up to 96,000 red blood cell (RBC) transfusion units in Germany alone, creating potentially fatal outcomes.

h1N1

WASHINGTON — One of the most systematic looks yet at the H1N1 flu pandemic confirms that it is at worst only a little more serious than an average flu season and could well be a good deal milder, researchers said.

Pandemrix Vaccine

LONDON — The European Medicines Agency warned Dec. 4 that young children might experience fever after their second dose of the pandemic influenza vaccine Pandemrix.

Malaria

Malaria parasites are able to disguise themselves to avoid the host's immune system, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust and published Dec. 1 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Computer Virus

BOSTON — Hackers are spreading a vicious computer virus through spam e-mail messages that urge recipients to visit a bogus Web site offering vaccinations to protect them against another virus — the one that causes swine flu, Reuters reported Dec. 1.

Michael Pichichero

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Do all vaccines boost immunity for the same period of time? And, if not, when are additional “booster shots” needed to keep immunity strong? One researcher is looking for answers, the Rochester General Health System announced Nov. 27.

H1N1 Vaccine

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- More than 700 of Vermont's licensed emergency medical technicians and paramedics are now eligible to serve as vaccinators at public and school clinics across the state.

Gov. Martin O’Malley

ANAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley praised Emergent BioSolutions for its upcoming expansion in East Baltimore during his online economic update released Nov. 19.

BETHESDA, Md. — More safety data would be needed before a new type of influenza vaccine made in insect cells should get approval, federal advisers said Nov. 19.

H1N1 Vaccine

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Some health authorities across the country have tossed out hundreds of doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine because of miscalculations over how many of the time-sensitive dosages are needed at community clinics.

H1N1

Public health officials walking a tightrope between massive demand for vaccines and intense public scrutiny of side effects now have a new standard for evaluating the safety of their vaccination programs.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Nov. 16 that it has approved a fifth vaccine for protection against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. The vaccine is manufactured by ID Biomedical Corp. of Quebec, Canada, owned by GlaxoSmithKline PLC.

SAN DIEGO — Vical Inc. on Nov. 4 reported financial results for the quarter ended Sept. 30.

Dr. Anthony Fauci

The head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said the unpredictable H1N1 flu pandemic is not over and implored parents to get their children vaccinated.

Randal Chase

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Immunovaccine Inc. announced Nov. 2 that it entered into an agreement with Cato Research Canada Inc. to assist it in managing an upcoming Phase 1 clinical trial for DPX-0907.

Beijing

BEIJING — Beijing health authorities said Nov. 6 that they would extend the H1N1 flu vaccine inoculation to all the city's 16

A joint public meeting focused on improving the system for tracing food products and ingredients that are causing illness outbreaks or presenting other risks to the health of consumers is scheduled for Dec. 9 and 10 in Washington.

Jim Talent

The United States is failing to address its most urgent threat — biological proliferation and terrorism — concluded a report issued Oct. 21 by the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.

Dr. Francis Collins

CHICAGO — There is nothing unique or scary about the new H1N1 flu vaccine that should keep people from getting it, said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

With all the attention on H1N1 and the seasonal flu, it might be easy to forget about other infectious diseases.

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech will use $27 million to support infectious disease research around the world.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — If you are concerned about allergic reaction to the influenza vaccine, Mayo Clinic offers an influenza vaccine allergy clinic.

Don Elsey

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced June 15, 2009, that Don Elsey, its chief financial officer and senior vice president of finance and administration, has been named 2009 SmartCFO of the Year by SmartCEO Magazine.

BioThrax

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced Sept. 26, 2008, that it has signed a government contract valued at up to $29.7 million to further development of AV7909, a next generation anthrax vaccine candidate.

Fuad El-Hibri

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions announced that it acquired England-based Microscience Ltd., a privately held vaccine company primarily involved in the research and development of proprietary vaccines and immunotherapeutics.