Researchers have found that public immunization rates may be more sensitive to changes in a vaccination’s cost than previously thought, and that social networks can play a vital role in determining the severity of an outbreak.

HIV

Researchers report that they've gained more insight into how the body fights off HIV, a finding that offers a possible new avenue toward a vaccine against the virus, which causes AIDS.

NEW YORK — The flu shot is safe for most kids with egg allergies, according to a new report in Pediatrics released April 5.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the 2009 H1N1 flu viruses are expected to circulate throughout 2010, including during the Southern Hemisphere flu season.

HIV

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced April 5 the publication of data showing phosphatidylserine (PS)-targeting antibodies can block one of the key ways the AIDS virus gains entry into certain blood cells.

Measles

New Zealand health officials fear an outbreak of measles in a small community in the Far North has made its way to Wellington.

Mumps

Urologists at a leading Irish hospital have reported an alarming increase in the number of teenage boys and young men developing mumps orchitis, in a paper published in the April issue of the urology journal BJUI.

TB

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) possesses extraordinary survival ability by masking itself from the host immune system and persisting for decades inside the host.

NEW YORK — British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC said March 20 that it is launching a program in the United States to provide free vaccines to adults who don't have health insurance.

H1N1

Despite months of dire warnings and millions in taxpayer dollars, less than half of the 229 million doses of H1N1 vaccine the government bought to fight the pandemic have been administered.

Measles

The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control is warning health care professionals and the public to be on the alert for measles after nearly a dozen people in Vancouver were diagnosed recently with the disease, Canwest News Service reported.

DETROIT — Detroit Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko and NBA legend Bob Lanier teamed up with NBA Cares and the Society for Adolescent Medicine on March 29 to bring Vaccines for Teens to the Metro Detroit community.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis rates in the United States dropped more than 10 percent last year compared with 2008, the sharpest decrease ever recorded in a single year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported March 31.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the vaccination rates for the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus are different around the country. New England has the highest rates while the South is having the lowest.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — The Tech Council of Maryland has selected finalists for its awards that recognize individuals and organizations for innovation, dedication and outstanding service to Maryland's technology community.

World Health Organization

Cuba will begin vaccinating nearly 10 percent of its citizens against swine flu this week, reversing its previous skepticism about the high cost and effectiveness of immunization to combat the virus, The Associated Press reported March 26.

H1N1

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington’s limit on the amount of mercury allowed in H1N1 flu vaccines for certain people is ending, the state’s Department of Health announced March 23.

Q-fever

Doctors in the Netherlands have urged the country’s caretaker health minister, Ab Klink, to order a batch of Q fever vaccines for people at risk of developing complications from the goat and sheep disease, DutchNews.nl reported March 29.

World Health Organization

A group of outside experts will scrutinize the WHO's response to the H1N1flu outbreak and likely examine whether the global body could have been clearer when it declared a pandemic of what has turned out to be a relatively mild disease.

Flu indicators are showing signs of increased and sustained pandemic flu activity in some Southeastern states, though rates remain steady at the national level, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said March 26.

Dengue

Health officials in Latin America report an earlier than usual outbreak of potentially deadly dengue fever, and are bracing this year for a particularly virulent outbreak of the mosquito-borne tropical disease, Agence France Presse reported March 24.

H1N1

Two people with compromised immune systems who became ill with 2009 H1N1 influenza developed drug-resistant strains of virus after less than two weeks on therapy, doctors from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reported March 26.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

The influenza viruses responsible for the pandemics of 1918 and 2009 share a structural detail that makes both susceptible to neutralization by the same antibodies, according to research by the NIAID.

H1N1

LONDON — Pregnant women in Australia and New Zealand who had pandemic H1N1 flu were 13 times more likely to become critically ill and be admitted to hospital, researchers said March 19.

Leukemia

BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s treatment for acute myeloid leukemia received orphan-drug designation from the Food and Drug Administration on March 23 as the vaccine led to increased remission rates in a Phase II study.

H1N1

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Novavax Inc. confirmed March 24 that its potential H1N1 flu vaccine prompted an immune response in patients during a midstage study.

FRANKFURT, Germany — German drugmaker Merck KGaA put on hold all testing on humans of its experimental cancer vaccine Stimuvax after a Phase II trial participant contracted encephalitis.

Dr. Stephen Lockhart

When researchers at Oxford University took their development of a vaccine candidate against tuberculosis as far as they could, they found a commercial partner in Emergent BioSolutions.

Tevi Troy

There is relatively little interest about tuberculosis in the United States because there is a perception that this is just a developing world issue, says Tevi Troy, a writer and consultant on health care and domestic policy

Dr. Helen McShane

Although tuberculosis remains a global threat and a strengthening foe, the most effective vaccine against it is more than 80 years old.

This year's World TB Day theme, "On the move against tuberculosis: Innovate to accelerate action," addresses a critical aspect of the core business and values of the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.

World TB Day is March 24. This annual event commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that cause tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis

In remarks March 24, World Tuberculosis Day, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged everyone to "reaffirm our commitment to tackle this deadly disease together."

On March 24, Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation recommitted itself to developing new and better TB vaccines and observed World TB Day 2010 by participating in events on three continents, the group said in a press release.

Last fall, as H1N1 flu cases mounted and parents desperately sought to protect their kids, the hard-to-get vaccine was handed out in some surprising places.

Dynavax Technologies Corp. said March 23 that the safety profile of its experimental hepatitis B vaccine Heplisav was comparable with GlaxoSmithKline’s hepatitis B vaccine Engerix-B, which recently got a regulatory approval.

Pneumococcal

LONDON — Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline signed a landmark 10-year deal March 23 to supply 60 million doses a year of cut-price pneumococcal vaccines to developing nations.

Officials from the Food and Drug Administration are advising that doctors should temporarily stop using the vaccine against a diarrhea-causing virus because the vaccine is contaminated with an apparently harmless pig virus.

TB

Even with tuberculosis cases falling sharply in the United States to historic lows, strains of drug-resistant disease are gaining ground elsewhere in the world, the Centers for Disease Control Prevention and the World Health Organization report.

Health care personnel influenza immunization rates have remained low, despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meningitis

In the wake of an outbreak of meningococcal disease at Oologah-Talala Public Schools, state and local health officials offered free vaccinations to the school system's students and staff, according to the Tulsa World.

Walter Plowright

Walter Plowright, the British veterinarian often called one of the "heroes of the 20th century" because of his invention of a vaccine that has almost totally eliminated the cattle disease rinderpest, died recently in London. He was 86.

Meningococcal

BASEL, Switzerland — Novartis announced March 18 that the European Commission granted a marketing authorization for its vaccines against meningococcal disease.

HPV

A cervical cancer vaccine is not getting to many of the girls who need it the most, a new study shows.

Streptococcus Pneumoniae

A vaccine discovery and development company on March 18 announced an exclusive worldwide license for developed countries to a portfolio of Streptococcus pneumoniae antigens from Children’s Hospital Boston.

Tuberculosis

A booster shot has shown promise in improving tuberculosis resistance in previously vaccinated adults, according to new research in South Africa.

World Health Organization

GENEVA — The World Health Organization said March 18 that it was suspending the use of the Indian-developed Shan5 combination vaccine, which is used against infections such as diphtheria, tetanus and hepatitis B.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Increasing vaccination rates of health care personnel substantially improves patient safety, lowering flu deaths by 40 percent, researchers suggest.

Chickenpox

HANOI, Vietnam — An outbreak of chickenpox is hitting Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi as the number of infected children admitted to hospitals in big cities has increased significantly, the Voice of Vietnam reported March 15.

TAMPA, Fla. and MINNEAPOLIS — Biovest International Inc. announced March 17 that it will present information about its personalized cancer vaccine, BiovaxID, at the following upcoming conferences:

Bavarian Nordic A/S announced that it has received notification that the U.S. FDA has accepted all the actions taken by the company to address the observations made during its inspection of the manufacturing facilities in 2009.

Chickenpox

Since the varicella vaccine was introduced in the mid-1990s, the number of people receiving medical care for chickenpox in the U.S. has decreased sharply — particularly among children.

World Health Organization

U.N. agencies and the Afghan health ministry are conducting a three-day campaign aimed at vaccinating an estimated 7.7 million children under the age of 5 against polio, which can leave patients totally paralyzed.

H1N1

While the pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine seems to be just as safe as seasonal flu vaccines, the federal government has been getting some letters from people saying they plan to seek compensation for injuries caused by the injection.

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. — BioSante Pharmaceuticals received orphan drug status for its potential pancreatic cancer treatment, the company announced March 15.

Hepatitis B

Dynavax Technologies Corp. said March 16 that its auditors have expressed doubts about the company's ability to continue as a going concern as a result of the company's current financial position, according to Reuters.

Polio

GENEVA— The World Health Organization says more than 85 million children under 5 in west and central Africa will be vaccinated against polio.

World Health Organization

LONDON — An additional $4.3 billion is needed if a global vaccines alliance is to meet its goal of supplying life-saving immunizations to millions of children in poor countries by 2015, the organization said March 15.

A new study shows that when children get vaccinated against seasonal influenza, the entire community can benefit.

WASHINGTON — The United States’ "vaccine court" has once again concluded that vaccines don't cause autism.

Dendritic Cell

LOS ANGELES — ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Ltd. announced March 10 that its dendritic cell-based vaccination with cancer stem cells demonstrated a statistically significant survival benefit in a preclinical animal model of glioblastoma.

The H1N1 flu appears to spread more slowly than "regular" seasonal flu in a household setting, but when it does spread it's more likely to affect children, a new study suggests.

A Danish scientist involved in two major studies that debunked any linkage of vaccines to autism is suspected of misappropriating $2 million in U.S. grants at his university in Denmark, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported March 12.

H1N1

NEW DELHI — India is “most likely” to administer imported swine flu vaccine to the high-risk groups from next week, a senior health ministry official said March 10.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Baxter International Inc., in conjunction with DynPort Vaccine Co., announced Phase III study data measuring the clinical efficacy for its trivalent seasonal influenza candidate vaccine on March 11 in Miami.

Leukemia

BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced positive results of a human clinical study that show that its GVAX leukemia vaccine may be able to reduce or eliminate the last remaining cancer cells in some chronic myeloid leukemia patients.

Charleston Area Medical Center has been recognized by a state group for "going above and beyond the call of duty" in getting the flu vaccine to employees and preventing the potential spread of the disease, The Charleston Gazette reported March 11.

Pneumococcal

LONDON — Several drug companies have agreed on a landmark deal to supply up to 200 million doses a year of cut-price pneumococcal vaccines to developing nations, according to the global immunization alliance that is overseeing the deal.

STRASBOURG, France — Transgene SA, a French biotechnology company, sold Novartis AG an option on rights to the experimental TG4010 lung cancer vaccine in a deal that may fetch as much as $960 million, Bloomberg reported.

Up to 50,000 U.S. adults die each year from vaccine preventable diseases, and the direct health care burden of vaccine preventable diseases in American adults is $10 billion a year.

Decades of vaccination and prevention efforts may have the hepatitis viruses on the run, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released March 10.

Cell-based vaccines are at the forefront of influenza vaccine development, according to findings presented March 10 at the 14th International Congress on Infectious Diseases in Miami and reported by Pediatric SuperSite.

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.

HSV-2

Approximately 1 in 6 Americans (16.2 percent) between the ages of 14 and 49 is infected with herpes simplex virus type 2, according to a national health survey released March 9 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Novavax Inc. announced March 8 that more than 3,500 volunteers ages 18 to 64 in Mexico have been enrolled in Stage B of its 2009 H1N1 virus-like-particle pandemic influenza vaccine study.

With spring break coming up and large numbers of students expected to travel both domestically and internationally, getting vaccinated against 2009 H1N1 influenza is especially important.

LONDON — An investigation is under way after a newborn baby was given 10 times the normal dose of a tuberculosis vaccine at a hospital in North Lincolnshire, England.

LEIDEN, Netherlands — Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell announced March 8 that Jerald C. Sadoff was appointed chief medical officer will be a member of its management committee.

Hepatits B

About one in five babies born to mothers with hepatitis B aren't getting treatments that have been shown to prevent the infection in newborns, a study whose findings were released online March 8 in advance of the April print issue of Pediatrics.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced March 8 that it would decide whether a federal law protects vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits in state court seeking damages for alleged design defects.

HIV

A seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine can protect adults with HIV against recurrent pneumococcal infection, according to research published in the March 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded Abt Associates two new contracts to evaluate the effectiveness of the H1N1 vaccine among health care workers and children younger than 18, the company announced March 5.

H1N1

WASHINGTON — First, people were clamoring for H1N1 vaccines, but there were not enough to go around. By the time vaccines were available in any quantity, most of the public had lost interest.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is not planning to seek advice from its outside advisers over Dendreon Corp.'s experimental prostate cancer vaccine, Reuters reported March 5.

Mesothelioma

An investigational vaccine for the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma is safe, according to a new study cited in a press release March 4 from the American Thoracic Society.

H1N1

NEW DELHI — The country's first indigenously produced vaccine against H1N1 virus will be ready for use from mid-May, The Times of India reported March 4.

Polio

More than 85 million children under five years old will be immunized against polio in 19 countries across West and Central Africa in a massive cooperation aimed at stopping a year-long polio epidemic the World Health Organization announced.

H1N1

NEW YORK — New research from Australia confirms that the HIN1 flu hits pregnant women particularly hard — especially if they have asthma, obesity or diabetes.

Kanji Takada, a professor of pharmacokinetics, has developed a round vaccine "chip" measuring 1.5 centimeters in diameter that contains as many as 300 micro needles.

HSV2

LONDON — A new vaccine designed to prevent people with genital herpes from passing the virus on to their sexual partners has begun its first patient trials at a hospital in England.

A new coalition is calling for hearings to investigate HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government agencies for what it describes as a failure to fully address issues of vaccine safety.

The U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices last week heard a report about the high-dose influenza vaccine that was recently approved for people 65 and older but voiced no preference for its use in that age group.

Health officials in the west African country of Burkina Faso are worried about an increase in deaths from meningitis which has killed about 250 people so far this year, up from 203 in the same period last year.

H1N1

MUMBAI — Panacea Biotec announced March 3 that it has signed an advance market agreement with the government of India to manufacture Pandyflu, the company's H1N1 flu vaccine.

Dengue Fever

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Health officials in Puerto Rico have declared an epidemic of dengue fever, The Associated Press reported.

H5N1

Inovio Biomedical announced March 3 that it got the go-ahead to begin human trials of a preventive vaccine for H5N1 avian flu in Korea.

NEW ORLEANS — Most children with egg protein allergies who received influenza vaccinations had no adverse reactions, researchers said at the annual meeting of American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, according to MedPage Today.

Virus-like Particles

Medicago Inc., and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre have been awarded a $288,000 research grant to study plant-made virus-like particles with a focus on immune response induced.

H5N1

Researchers from Hungary and the United Kingdom have developed a single-dose H5N1 influenza vaccine that induces a protective level of immunity against infection in healthy adult and elderly volunteers.

Cholera

GENEVA — Because deadly cholera infections are still on the rise, producing oral cholera vaccines in poor countries could help boost the immunity of those most vulnerable to the water-borne disease, a World Health Organization official said March 1.

CHICAGO — One in four U.S. parents believes some vaccines cause autism in healthy children, but even many of those worried about vaccine risks think their children should be vaccinated, The Associated Press reported March 1.

DNA

Cyto Pulse Sciences announced approval from the Swedish Medical Products Agency to conduct a phase I clinical trial evaluating an HIV/DNA vaccine in collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control.

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.

S. Aureus

PERTH, Australia — Researchers here are calling for volunteers to help test an investigational vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health unveiled an initiative designed to accelerate the process from scientific breakthrough to the availability of new, innovative medical therapies for patients.

World Health Organization

GENEVA — The current H1N1 swine flu pandemic is relatively less severe than some other influenza outbreaks, the World Health Organization said Feb. 24

BERKELEY, Calif. — Dynavax Technologies Corp. announced Feb. 25 that it has selected a clinical vaccine candidate for its novel Universal Flu program and completed key preclinical studies.

HIV

For the first time researchers from the U.S. and abroad have shown that a single-dose HIV DNA vaccine can induce a long-lasting HIV-specific immune response in nonhuman primates.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new version of the Prevnar childhood vaccine that federal regulators approved Feb. 24 will be partly produced at the company's drug factory in Sanford.

HPV

Women older than 40 are unlikely to get much benefit from the vaccine for the virus that causes cervical cancer, a new study reports.

AMSTERDAM — The Dutch health authority RIVM said Feb. 23 the deaths of three infants last year were not related to a vaccine produced by U.S. pharmaceutical company Wyeth, now part of Pfizer.

VIENNA, Va. — CEL-SCI Corp. and its scientific collaborators announced Feb. 22 that the company's CEL-2000 vaccine demonstrated that it is able to block the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in a mouse model.

BASEL, Switzerland — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Novartis’ Menveo to prevent meningococcal disease, which infects more than 500,000 people each year, leading to more than 50,000 deaths globally.

H5N1

SAN DIEGO — Vical Inc. announced Feb. 24 the publication in the online edition of Vaccine1 detailed data from two Phase 1 trials of its Vaxfectin-adjuvanted DNA vaccines for H5N1 (avian-origin) influenza.

The 2009 H1N1 flu virus, which has sickened millions and killed at least 15,000 people worldwide, will be included in the United States’ next seasonal flu vaccine when it becomes available in the fall, government health experts decided.

HSV-2

Genocea Biosciences, a vaccine discovery and development company, announced that it has licensed an extensive patent estate for 25 pending and issued patents related to herpes simplex virus type 2 antigens.

DNA

SAN DIEGO — Inovio Biomedical Corp. announced Feb. 23 that representatives and associates of the company will make multiple presentations at the DNA Vaccines 2010 conference March 2 through 4 in New Orleans.

HIV

The head of an association that represents Canada's HIV researchers is criticizing a federal government decision to scrap plans for an $83.5 million facility that would manufacture potential vaccines.

Pneumococcal

Children younger than 5 who already got four doses of Pfizer Inc.'s Prevnar 13 vaccine should get a fifth booster dose of the new version that covers more strains of pneumonia-causing bacteria.

Humenza

LYON, France — Sanofi Pasteur announced Feb. 19 that its adjuvanted H1N1 influenza vaccine Humenza has received a positive opinion from the scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency.

Hepetitis B

AltraVax Inc. has acquired a vaccine development technology package that gives AltraVax an exclusive license to develop vaccines for infectious diseases and is targeting influenza, a treatment for hepatitis B and HIV.

INDIANAPOLIS — BioCrossroads' Indiana Seed Fund has invested in Bioscience Vaccines Inc. to accelerate the development of biologic materials, which may boost the effectiveness of a wide range of life-saving vaccines.

Measles

More than 20 million Bangladeshi children will be vaccinated against measles over the next two weeks as part of a campaign backed by UNICEF to try to eradicate the deadly disease in the South Asian nation, the UN News Service reported Feb. 15.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africa faces a possible health crisis if an H1N1 flu outbreak strikes during the soccer World Cup this year, the country’s health minister told parliament Feb. 15, Reuters reported.

Measles

Children younger than 5 have been the main victims of a measles outbreak sweeping Ireland that has hospitalized one in three of those affected, The Irish Independent reported Feb. 13.

BOGOTA, Colombia — An intensive effort is under way in Haiti to immunize approximately 1.5 million Haitians amid concerns of increased risks of disease outbreaks after last month's catastrophic earthquake, AlertNet reported Feb. 18.

HIV

WASHINGTON — A company using genetically engineered versions of the AIDS virus says its unusual approach is getting some results, both for treating and perhaps as a vaccine against HIV.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

WASHINGTON — An AIDS vaccine that appears to have worked at least partly in Thailand may only temporarily protect patients, with the effects starting to wane after a year or so, researchers reported Feb. 18.

Kathleen Sebelius

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius spoke at the 2010 Public Health Preparedness Summit about the lessons learned so far from the response to the H1N1 flu pandemic and efforts to strengthen health preparedness.

NEW YORK — Taking charge of your toddler's vaccination record may be the best way to ensure he or she doesn't miss any shots, a new study suggests.

World Health Organization

Scientists at England’s Oxford University have found a way of keeping vaccines stable without refrigeration, BBC News reported Feb. 19.

H1N1

LONDON — The World Health Organization is recommending that swine flu be added to regular flu vaccines next season, The Associated Press reported Feb. 18.

Andrew Wakefield

Andrew Wakefield, the British doctor whose research triggered a health scare over the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, has resigned from the autism center he founded in Texas, The Guardian reported Feb. 18.

Thierry Heidmann

Oncogenic retroviruses are a particular family of viruses that can cause some types of cancer.

H1N1

DAKAR, Senegal — Modou Diagne Fada, Senegal’s minister of health and preventive medicine, confirmed that the country had been hit by the epidemic H1N1 influenza, AfricaNews reported Feb. 9

HPV

SAN DIEGO — Inovio Biomedical Corp. announced Feb. 8 additional interim safety and immunogenicity data from its therapeutic cervical cancer vaccine trial

Hepetitis B

BERKELEY, Calif. — Dynavax Technologies Corp. will start a 2,000-patient trial of its investigational adult hepatitis B vaccine, aiming for data in the first half of 2011, the San Francisco Business Times reported Feb. 8.

Researchers at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey are investigating the development of a series of vaccine injections to see if they will produce an immune response against pancreatic cancer, the institute said

Measles

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Measles continues to spread in Zimbabwe despite intensified efforts by the government and its partners to contain the outbreak, which has affected more than 1,200 people since October, The Herald reported Feb. 10.

World Health Organization

GENEVA — The World Health Organization will convene its emergency committee later this month to examine whether the H1N1 flu pandemic has peaked, its top influenza expert said Feb. 11.

Cholera

SYDNEY — At least 40 people are dead and 2,000 infected as Papua New Guinea struggles to contain its first cholera outbreak in 50 years, The Associated Press reported Feb. 1

World Health Organization

An immunology research institute has validated the long-held and controversial hypothesis that antibodies — usually the "good guys" in the body's fight against viruses — instead contribute to severe dengue virus-induced disease.

Ragweed

OXFORD, England — Circassia Ltd. announced Feb. 12 that its ToleroMune ragweed allergy T-cell vaccine achieved positive results in a recently completed phase II clinical trial.

Mumps

In a recent mumps outbreak occurring in the eastern United States, even some of those who were vaccinated against the infectious illness got sick, health officials report according to HealthDay News.

Social interaction between neighbors, work colleagues and other communities and social groups makes voluntary vaccination programs for epidemics such as H1N1 flu, SARS or avian flu a surprisingly effective method of disease control.

HPV

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

Hepatitis B

A Scottish life science firm has secured an additional $3.1 million in funding to develop new vaccines, BBC News reported.

Whooping Cough

The bacteria that causes whooping cough in Australia has mutated, scientists have warned, eroding the protection provided by the vaccine now given to children, the Australian Associated Press reported Feb. 10.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is partnering with the Indian Health Service to launch a campaign informing American Indian and Alaska Native parents about the importance of a preteen medical check-up and preteen vaccines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently addressed questions about the vaccine for the 2010-11 flu season on its Web site.

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

Novavax's VLP Vaccine

Novavax Inc. announced Feb. 9 new data from a clinical study that began in May among healthy adults 18 to 49 years old with Novavax's trivalent seasonal influenza virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

H1N1

Growing concern in Romania about the opaque circumstances in which a vaccine against H1N1 flu is being tested on children has forced health authorities to postpone the launch of the vaccination campaign by at least one month.

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization reported that 225 cases of H1N1 flu with resistance to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) have been found worldwide, and resistant viruses have spread from person to person in several clusters but have not spilled into the community.

Mumps

NEW YORK — New York City health officials are encouraging young adults, especially males, in the Jewish communities in Brooklyn to get vaccinated for mumps, UPI reported Feb. 9.

H1N1

At the height of fears over H1N1 flu this fall, some vaccination foes claimed it was safer to get illness than to be inoculated against it.

Malaria

The first results from a study of key anti-malarial medicines reveal that a high percentage of medicines circulating on national markets are of substandard quality and may contribute to the growth of drug-resistant strains of malaria.

WASHINGTON — H1N1 flu is still circulating around the world and still killing people, although it is on the decline everywhere, global health officials said Feb. 5.

Mumps

NEW YORK — More than 1,000 people in New Jersey and New York, many of them adolescent Orthodox Jews, have been sickened with mumps since August, health authorities said Feb 8.

H1N1

BOSTON – The latest poll from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health shows that 44 percent of Americans believe the H1N1 flu outbreak is over, and levels of concern about getting sick with the virus continue to decline.

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.

Polio

NEW DELHI — Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Feb. 7 launched the bivalent oral vaccine against polio in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh states to mark India’s national immunization day, The Hindu reported.

Hepatitis B

NEW YORK — Our expanding waistlines may have outgrown doctors’ needles, researchers report in the March issue of Pediatrics.

Malaria

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have become the first in the world to synthesize the entire protein that is responsible for life-threatening malaria in pregnant women and their unborn children, ScienceDaily reported Feb. 5.

Adult Immunization

According to a national report, millions of adult Americans are vulnerable to diseases that can be forestalled by vaccines, CIDRAP News reported Feb. 4.

Prostate Cancer

Researchers in Cork, Ireland, have developed a vaccine that enables a person’s immune system to attack cancer cells directly, The Irish Times reported Feb. 5.

More than 75 million Americans, or close to 25 percent of the population, have been vaccinated against the pandemic H1N1 virus, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Feb. 4.

Malaria

Research done at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University's School of Biological Sciences could lead to the development of more potent drugs or a vaccine for malaria, ScienceDaily reported Feb. 5.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's budget proposes a unique new initiative — battling some tropical diseases not just to improve health but as a national security strategy, Reuters reported Feb. 2.

World Health Organization

There is now so much unused H1N1 pandemic flu vaccine in the world that rich nations, including the United States, are trying to get rid of their surpluses.

Malaria

A new vaccine tested in 100 West African children triggers the immune system to produce antibodies against the malaria parasite at levels normally seen only in adults who have strong resistance to the disease.

SARS

LONDON — A study that looked at how people behave during pandemics has identified key demographic and psychological factors that may predict protective behaviors.

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.

H1N1

HARTFORD, Conn. — More than 11,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine distributed in Connecticut have been recalled because of decreased potency, the third such recall in two months, The Hartford Courant reported Feb. 3.

A mandatory influenza vaccination policy improves immunization rates among health care workers, according to a recent study of a large health care organization.

NicVAX

Oregon Health & Science University is participating in a Phase III clinical trial to determine whether a new investigational smoking cessation aid called NicVAX is safe, effective and capable of stimulating an immune response, the school announced Feb. 3.

When it comes to vaccines, everyone now wants to get in on the action.

Flu Vaccine

NanoBio Corp. announced Feb. 2 that a sixth U.S. patent covering its novel nanoemulsion technology has been awarded. The patent encompasses composition of matter claims for the company’s lead anti-infective and vaccine product candidates.

A nonprofit organization is paying the Food and Drug Administration to help develop a better vaccine against pneumococcal disease in poor countries, The New York Times reported Feb. 1.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

An experimental vaccine developed using non-infectious virus-like particles has protected macaques and mice against chikungunya virus, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found.

Malaria

Médecins Sans Frontières teams in Burundi's Kayanza province assessing and treating patients in the midst of a rise in the incidence of malaria, the organization also known as Doctors Without Borders reported Jan. 29.

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.

NEW DELHI — Cadila Pharmaceuticals’ plans to manufacture H1N1 flu vaccines has hit a roadblock as the drug regulator has expressed concerns over the technology to be used.

Bill Gates

DAVOS, Switzerland — Bill and Melinda Gates announced plans Jan. 29 to invest $10 billion in the fight against a number of illnesses including AIDS and said the record donation could save nearly nine million lives.

Pneumococcal

PATH, an international nonprofit global health organization, recently signed an agreement with the University of Kansas Center for Research to support the advancement of vaccine candidates across its vaccine development portfolio.

E. coli

TD Vaccines A/S announced Jan. 25 the early results of a preliminary vaccine to combat a leading cause of bacterial diarrhea that afflicts millions of international travelers as well as children in the developing world.

Traditional vaccines can be ineffective and expensive. Now, an interdisciplinary team of Cornell researchers has devised a new way to make vaccines that promises to prevent diseases much more cheaply, the university announced Jan. 25.

World Health Organization

LONDON — Approximately 3.7 million people in England have been vaccinated against H1N1 flu, health authorities announced, and urged anyone in priority groups to have the shot now to ward off the virus in 2010, reported Jan. 21.

Salmonella

Research from Malawi, Birmingham and Liverpool has renewed hope that an effective vaccine could be developed against nontyphoidal strains of salmonella.

National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

PATH signed an agreement with the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the NIAID in Bethesda, Md., to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial of the double mutant heat-labile toxin (dmLT) vaccine/adjuvant.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation released an open letter that addresses what he called the “miracle of vaccines.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released updated guides for relief workers and others traveling to Haiti in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake that decimated the country.

More than 30 health providers and organizations released an open letter advising people to get vaccinated. Below is the text of that letter.

Prostate Cancer Cells

In a newly published clinical trial, patients with metastatic prostate cancer who received a vaccine of harmless poxviruses lived substantially longer than patients who received a placebo vaccine.

World Health Organization

PATH has received an award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support the enhancement of sustainable influenza vaccine production in Vietnam.

Malaria

NANORO, Burkina Faso — The Phase 3 trial of GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals' RTS,S, a malaria vaccine candidate, is on track.

Chicken Pox

Health Department officials in Oakland County, Michigan, say they are seeing more children than expected being diagnosed with chicken pox for this time of year.

Malaria

A biomedical researcher at the University of Central Florida has developed what promises to be the first low-cost dual vaccine against malaria and cholera, school officials announced Jan. 26.

H1N1

TORONTO — Canada has revealed what it will do with a portion of the country's large H1N1 vaccine surplus, announcing Jan. 28 that it is giving 5 million doses to the World Health Organization.

Rotavirus

WASHINGTON — A vaccination campaign to combat rotavirus in the world's poorest countries could save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children, according to a pair of studies published this week.

Measles

Parents in the south of Ireland have been urged to ensure their children are protected against measles following a recent outbreak of the disease, the Irish Times reported Jan. 26.

Vical Inc. announced that it would present an overview of its DNA vaccine and adjuvant technologies and an update on its clinical-stage vaccine development programs at the Phacilitate Vaccine Forum in Washington.

Malaria

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has told the BBC that a vaccine for malaria could be just three years away.

The World Health Organization released a statement Jan. 22 addressing allegations of a conflict of interest and a fake pandemic meant to aid the pharmaceutical industry.

ROCKVILLE, Md.--Two officials from Novavax Inc. announced Jan. 25 that they will be presenting at Phacilitate's eighth annual Vaccine Forum Washington 2010.

Helicobacter Pylori

Despite a strong response from our immune defense, the body is unable to rid itself of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori.

World Health Organization

Successful anti-polio action depends on vaccinators being able to reach and immunize every child under 5 years old in 13 volatile districts in the southern provinces of Kandahar, Helmand and Farah.

South African vaccine maker Biovac Institute, in partnership with major pharmaceutical firms, is on track to boost annual capacity sevenfold to 35 million doses by 2013, its deputy chief executive said.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has called on Washington to send medication to the quake-stricken Haiti rather than troops.

Kate Rittenhouse-Olson

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A University at Buffalo cancer researcher has received a $300,000 grant from King Saud University to continue her work with a Saudi researcher on a vaccine for breast cancer, the schools announced Jan. 21.

Rotavirus

A complete three-dose series of pentavalent rotavirus vaccine was 85 percent to 89 percent effective against rotavirus gastroenteritis severe enough to cause emergency room visits or hospital admission in children aged 15 days through 23 months.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

WASHINGTON — A vaccine additive made by Novartis and used in its European influenza shots can boost the body's immune response to a wide range of viruses, U.S. researchers reported Jan. 20 according to Reuters.

H1N1 Flu Vaccine

LONDON — Just one in three nurses in London has been vaccinated against the H1N1 flu, the National Health Service has admitted.

Malaria

SYDNEY — Researchers in Australia say a group of proteins produced in the human immune system when it is infected with malaria could help lead to the creation of a malaria vaccine, Voice of America reported Jan. 20.

WASHINGTON — Most of the adverse effects to the H1N1 flu vaccine are "non-serious," according to the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, UPI reported Jan. 20.

Archie Griffin

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Health partnered with Archie Griffin, a two-time Heisman Trophy winner and Ohio State University alumnus, to encourage Ohioans to tackle H1N1 by getting a flu vaccine.

The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet Feb. 22 to discuss and make recommendations on the selection of strains to be included in the influenza virus vaccine for the 2010-11 season.

Malaria

The parasite that causes malignant malaria in humans has been detected in gorillas, according to a study co-authored by biologist Francisco Ayala of the University of California, Irvine.

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.

Ranbaxy Laboratories

MUMBAI, India — Indian drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories on Jan. 19 signed an agreement to acquire product rights and manufacturing facility of Bangalore-based Biovel Lifesciences Pvt. Ltd., for an undisclosed sum, Reuters reported.

Malaria

LONDON — The chief executive of the world's second biggest pharmaceutical company will announce Jan. 20 that he is putting into the public domain thousands of potential drugs that might cure malaria, The Guardian reported.

ZURICH — Switzerland's medical regulator recommended that patients with serious autoimmune diseases should not use an H1N1 flu vaccine from Novartis, saying there were no studies assessing the inoculation in that segment of the population.

HPV

The number of women under 30 diagnosed with cervical cancer will fall nearly two thirds by 2025 thanks to the vaccine against human papillomavirus, researchers say.

Hundreds of thousands of children are overdue for a second dose of H1N1 vaccine that's needed to fully protect them from swine flu, a USA Today review of data from 10 states shows.

Malaria

BETHESDA, Md. — The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative announced a new collaboration Jan. 15 to initiate development toward a vaccine that may eventually help eliminate and eradicate malaria.

ATLANTA — About one in five Americans has been vaccinated against H1N1 flu, according to the government's first detailed estimates of vaccination rates against the pandemic, the Washington Post reported Jan. 16.

World Health Organization

LONDON — GlaxoSmithKline confirmed Jan. 15 that approximately 130 million doses of its pandemic H1N1 adjuvanted vaccine were shipped to governments in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Many travelers are expected to visit Asia in the upcoming weeks to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Tiger when it begins Feb. 14.

Hepatitis B

Dynavax Technologies Corp. announced Jan. 12 the addition of two new senior executives to direct key commercial and clinical activities prior to the launch of Heplisav, an investigational adult hepatitis B vaccine.

Rotavirus

Rotavirus is responsible for the deaths of more than 1,500 infants and children daily, mainly in developing countries. The International Medica Foundation is sponsoring a Phase II clinical trial of its oral rotavirus vaccine, RotaShield.

NEW YORK — Merck & Co on Jan. 13 said it had provided U.S. regulators with new information needed for approval to market its Gardasil cervical cancer vaccine to women between the ages of 27 to 45, Reuters reported.

World Health Organization

WARSAW, Poland — The government here refused to import H1N1 flu vaccines amid worldwide warnings of a spreading epidemic.

A new study may explain the intense disagreement about proposals to vaccinate elementary-school girls against human papillomavirus, ScienceDaily reported Jan. 14.

Staphylococcus Aureus

Pfizer Inc. has initiated patient recruitment for 408-patient, randomized, double-blind Phase I clinical trial to evaluate three ascending dose levels of a 3-antigen Staphylococcus aureus vaccine in healthy adults.

BANGALORE, India — SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc. said its adjuvant, Zadaxin, in combination with Novartis' H1N1 vaccine increased immune response, Reuters reported Jan. 12.

Jason Derülo

“Whatcha Say” singer Jason Derülo had a stellar 2009 — a No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 single, an opening spot on Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour — and he knows that if he wants to step it up in 2010, he's going to have to stay healthy.

BEIJING — Sinovac Biotech Ltd. announced Jan. 13 that it has received its fifth purchase order for its H1N1 vaccine, Panflu.1, from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for the national purchase plan.

RSV

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Novavax Inc. announced Jan. 12 that it has completed a pre-clinical safety and efficacy study of its RSV vaccine candidate in cotton rats.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston Area Medical Center plans to terminate two employees for refusing to take a seasonal flu vaccine, the Charleston Daily Mail reported Jan. 13.

Dengue Virus

Sanofi-Aventis’ experimental vaccine against dengue protected healthy volunteers against all four strains, bringing the drugmaker closer to providing the first vaccine against a disease that threatens 40 percent of the world’s population.

H1N1

LONDON — Sanofi-Aventis is meeting all its U.S. contracts for sales of H1N1 flu vaccine, despite Washington's decision to cut supplies from rival drugmaker CSL, a company spokesman told Reuters on Jan. 11.

LONDON — GlaxoSmithKline Plc agreed to reduce Germany’s order of Pandemrix H1N1 flu vaccine by $193 million on Jan. 12 after health officials decided they need fewer doses, the country’s Health Ministry said.

Yellow Fever

DAKAR, Senegal — Guinean health officials plan this month to vaccinate more than 250,000 people in the northeast against yellow fever after one confirmed and several suspected cases emerged in the region.

World Health Organization

GENEVA — The World Health Organization is to examine its handling of the H1N1 pandemic, the group said Jan. 12, after accusations by some politicians that it exaggerated the dangers of the virus under pressure from drug companies.

Hepatitis B

WASHINGTON — Stepped-up vaccination requirements, a boost in resources for prevention and treatment, and a public awareness campaign are needed to curb the health threats posed by hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

H1N1

Citing mistakes made in the 1957 flu pandemic, federal officials on Jan. 7 urged hesitant Americans to get vaccinated now against H1N1 flu to prevent any possibility of another wave of illness and deaths.

President Barack Obama, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a nationwide effort to encourage H1N1 flu vaccination during National Influenza Vaccination Week from Jan. 10–16.

Preliminary studies show that a vaccine made with leukemia cells may be able to reduce or eliminate the last remaining cancer cells in some chronic myeloid leukemia patients taking the drug Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec).

H1N1

NEW DELHI — Pune-based Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine maker in the country, has received approval from India’s drugs controller to conduct clinical trials of its H1N1 vaccine, the company announced Jan. 6.

TAMPA, Fla. — Biovest International Inc. announced Jan. 7 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation to BiovaxID, Biovest’s personalized lymphoma vaccine.

Marburg

SAN ANTONIO — The Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research announced Jan. 6 that it has received a contract from the Dutch pharmaceutical firm Crucell to test a vaccine against Ebola and Marburg viruses, which cause hemorrhagic fevers.

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.

As the number of H1N1 flu cases in some regions of the world continues to fall, developing countries scheduled to receive donated H1N1 vaccines from the World Health Organization are reassessing just how many vaccines their countries need.

H1N1

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted this “fact sheet” about thimerosal in H1N1 vaccines on its Web site Jan. 4.

More American children are fully immunized against common childhood illnesses, and disparities in vaccine coverage among socioeconomic groups are shrinking, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

HIV

ATLANTA — GeoVax Labs, a biopharmaceutical company that develops vaccines for diseases caused by HIV and other infectious agents, announced the appointment of a vice president of research and development.

The CDC's adult immunization guidelines includes a new recommendation that women 19 to 26 be immunized with either the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine or the recently approved bivalent HPV vaccine to reduce their risk of cervical cancer.

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.

World Health Organization

Large trials in the United States, Hungary and China recently confirmed the safety and efficacy of H1N1 vaccines, yielding new insights on how to best use vaccines in a pandemic setting, CIDRAP News reported Jan. 4.

Chicken Pox

Children whose parents refuse the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine appear more likely to develop the disease, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

H1N1

More than 30 health care provider groups sent an open letter Dec. 30 to the American people emphasizing that the H1N1 vaccine is safe, effective and the best way to protect against the flu.

Leukemia

LONDON — A vaccine for leukemia is about to be tested on human patients for the first time, in a breakthrough that could offer hope to thousands of people, the Telegraph reported Jan. 4.

NEW YORK — A new study provides further evidence that the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is not associated with an increased risk of autism, Reuters Health reported Jan. 4.

Squalene

Vaccines being made to protect people from H1N1 flu may not be so healthy for threatened species of sharks, National Geographic News reported Dec. 29.

Influenza Vaccine

SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. — The Trudeau Institute will receive an additional $1.6 million for its work with the U.S. Navy to research the impact and efficacy of combining influenza vaccinations with antiviral drugs.

World Health Organization

NEW YORK — Pfizer Inc. announced Dec. 30 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet completed its review of the biologics license application for Prevnar 13, its candidate pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

MTV is making sure the general public is up to date on the basics of the H1N1 virus.

Stomach Cancer

GOTHENBURG, Sweden — New research at Sahlgrenska Academy might be an important step toward creating a vaccine against ulcers and stomach cancer, The Local reported Dec. 30.

TB

Public health officials are concerned about the implications of the first U.S. case of extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis, diagnosed in a 19-year-old Peruvian who is visiting here to study English, Homeland Security Today reported Dec. 29.

World Health Organization

GENEVA — The H1N1 flu pandemic may not be conquered until 2011 and continued vigilance is required against the virus, which can still mutate, the head of the World Health Organization said Dec. 29.

HFMD

BEIJING — Sinovac Biotech Ltd. announced Dec. 28 that it has applied to China's State Food and Drug Administration to begin a human clinical trial for its vaccine against the virus that causes hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD).

TB

The number of people developing tuberculosis continues to increase despite earlier signs of stabilizing, according to a report released Dec. 2 by the United Kingdom’s Health Protection Agency.

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.

BDI Pharma Inc., a national distributor of biotech therapies, unveiled an online supply solution for health care workers to acquire a wide variety of vaccines.

DNA

SAN DIEGO — Vical Inc. announced the publication of data documenting the successful pilot lot production and initiation of animal immunogenicity testing of a Vaxfectin-adjuvanted DNA vaccine for H1N1 influenza.

H1N1

WASHINGTON — The H1N1 flu outbreak has exposed serious underlying gaps in the nation's ability to respond to public health.

Measles

Measles primarily affects children younger than 5 and can lead to blindness, inflammation of the middle ear, brain damage and death.

World Health Organization

GENEVA — World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan revealed that she has yet to be vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus, which has killed more than 11,500 people worldwide.

Chlamydia Trachomatis

Cambridge, Mass. – Genocea Biosciences has been awarded a grant from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Sexually Transmitted Infections Cooperative Research Center for the development of vaccines for Chlamydia trachomatis.

World Health Organization

TORONTO — Canada is in discussions with pandemic vaccine maker GlaxoSmithKline and with the World Health Organization about what to do with the country's expected surplus of H1N1 vaccine, the head of the Public Health Agency of Canada said Dec. 9.

TB

National Health Service efforts to tackle tuberculosis in England are improving, but worryingly nearly 18 percent TB hot spot areas, and 60 percent of all areas, still don't have a strategy in place to tackle the disease.

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA — Immunovaccine Inc. announced Dec. 9 that its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its therapeutic cancer vaccine, DPX-0907, has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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

HIV

PHILADELPHIA — Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University are one step closer to developing a vaccine against AIDS, the school announced Dec. 14.

H1N1

The good news on the H1N1 swine flu front is that the number of cases of infection continues to decrease and the vaccine supply is now plentiful, HealthDay News reported.

Flu Vaccine

WASHINGTON — The White House confirms that President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have each received the H1N1 shot.

WASHINGTON — The swine flu pandemic may have changed the U.S. approach to handling influenza forever, and for the better, U.S. officials said Dec. 17 according to Reuters.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Fluzone High-Dose, an inactivated influenza virus vaccine for people ages 65 years and older to prevent disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and B.

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.

Basel, Switzerland -- Novartis announced Dec. 21 that the World Health Organization has granted prequalification for all three of its influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccines for supply to United Nations agencies.

Boston -- A new poll by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health shows the shortage of H1N1 vaccine for children is easing, according to a press release dated Dec. 22.

Australian health authorities are fighting dengue fever on two fronts and are fearful that hot summer weather will intensify the chances of more outbreaks, The Courier-Mail reported Dec. 18.

Malaria

An experimental nasally administered malaria vaccine prevented parasite transmission from infected mice to mosquitoes and could play an important role in the fight against human malaria, ScienceDaily reported Dec. 20.

H1N1

ZURICH — Switzerland plans to donate or sell approximately 4.5 million excess doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine because of the low uptake of shots, the government said, according to a Reuters report Dec. 18.

H5N1

QUEBEC CITY — Medicago Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and virus-like particles.

H1N1

The second wave of the H1N1 influenza pandemic continued to fade last week, as the number of states with widespread cases dropped to 11 and reported deaths in children also declined.

Can young children get by with just one dose of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine?

Dr. Julie Gerberding

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck & Co. Inc. announced that a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been named president of Merck Vaccines, effective Jan.

World Health Organization

There have been more than 10,000 swine flu deaths worldwide since April, the World Health Organization said Dec. 18.

ZURICH — Europe's drugs watchdog has recommended approving a meningitis vaccine made by Switzerland's Novartis, according to Reuters.

HIV

Researchers have identified the cause of a major hurdle in efforts to develop an AIDS vaccine, according to a report Dec. 18 in HealthDay News.

Kathleen Sebelius

The nation is reaching a new milestone in its fight against pandemic flu, with the number of vaccine doses expected to reach 100 million by the end of the week and nearly half of states opening up immunization to anyone who wants it.

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.

World Health Organization

LONDON — Germany and Spain want to reduce deliveries of swine flu vaccine and potentially return excess supplies to manufacturers, because of low demand for the shots.

HIV

Kampala, Uganda — Fewer women compared to men are willing to participate in trials for a potential HIV/Aids vaccine, researchers revealed Dec. 15.

MMR Vaccine

The uptake of the MMR vaccine in Wales has reached its highest level in 12 years but health officials warn that the target rate has still not been reached, BBC News reported Dec. 17.

MF59

Novartis's pandemic H1N1 flu vaccine generated stronger immune responses when it was combined with an adjuvant than when used alone, though both formulations yielded good results, according to a report published by the New England Journal of Medicine.

H1N1

PARIS — French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA aims to double sales at its Sanofi Pasteur vaccines business by 2013, compared to the 2008 level, and reiterated it could make acquisitions in this fast-growing area.

As soon as babies are born, they are susceptible to diseases and infections, such as jaundice and E. coli. For up to a month, their immune systems aren't adequately developed to fight diseases.

Pneumococcal vaccine

While a nationwide push for vaccination against H1N1 and seasonal flu has led to long lines for shots, another vaccine against a common and deadly flu complication — pneumonia — hasn't gotten nearly as much attention.

MRSA

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Syntiron announced Dec. 16 that it has granted Sanofi Pasteur an exclusive worldwide license to its human vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus.

C. Difficile

Lyon, France and Swiftwater, Pa. — Sanofi Pasteur announced Dec. 15 that it is expanding its phase II clinical study of a vaccine against Clostridium difficile infection into the United States.

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.

Polio

KABUL — A new vaccine against polio will be used for the first time Dec. 15 in polio immunization campaigns in Afghanistan, according to the World Health Organization.

World Health Organization

AMSTERDAM — Dutch biotech firm Crucell NV will likely look to add a sixth antigen to its portfolio of childhood vaccines as part of expected product add-ons after a stake sale to Johnson & Johnson, Reuters reported Dec. 15.

National Institutes of Health

While vaccines help prevent many diseases in the United States, the nation lacks immunization protection against several serious illnesses, according a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

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.

TB

Health experts will in the coming weeks converge in Mayuge and Iganga districts for a clinical trial, to test the world's first experimental tuberculosis vaccine in nearly a century, allAfrica.com reported Dec. 9.

H1N1

Indigenous populations from Australia, Canada and New Zealand have been found to have a three to eight times higher rate of hospitalization and death associated with infection with the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus.

HIV

Researchers have for the first time demonstrated that human blood stem cells can be engineered into cells that can target and kill HIV-infected cells — a process that potentially could be used against a range of chronic viral diseases.

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

DAKAR, Senegal — Health experts in Africa are calling on governments to vaccinate children against rotavirus, to end an “unacceptable” yet preventable situation in which the virus kills some 1,400 children in developing countries daily

The Centers for Disease Control has reported 16 flu-related deaths among children across nine states during the week ending December 5.

SEATTLE — Oncothyreon Inc. announced Dec. 10 that its development partner Merck KGaA started a late-stage trial of its cancer vaccine in patients in Asia with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Patch-based Vaccine

LONDON and VIENNA — GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals and Intercell on Dec. 11 announced an agreement to form a strategic alliance to accelerate the development and commercialization of needle-free, patch-based vaccines.

Streptococcus pneumoniae

NEW YORK — The European Commission has granted Pfizer Inc. a European marketing authorization for a more protective form of its vaccine Prevnar 13, which protects against pneumonia, the company announced Dec. 11.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

WASHINGTON — The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has completed enrollment in a small clinical trial testing a candidate DNA vaccine for 2009 H1N1 influenza, the agency announced Dec. 11.

H1N1

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's vaccination campaign against the H1N1 flu strain is not proceeding as fast as it should be partly because people are needlessly worried about the vaccine’s safety, officials said Dec. 11.

Centers for Disease Control

The Centers for Disease Control has reported only nine cases of flu-related pediatric mortality across seven states during the week ending December 12. This the lowest number reported by the CDC so far this quarter.

Hepatitis E

KAABONG, Uganda — An outbreak of Hepatitis E has killed 12 people out of 210 infected in Uganda’s northeastern region of Karamoja, The New Vision Web site reported, citing Michael Lochiyo, the health educator of Kaabong district in the region.

Tuberculosis

CANCUN, Mexico — Health experts called for more research funding to develop better diagnostic tests, vaccines and drugs for tuberculosis, which killed 1.8 million people around the world last year.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

HIV-infected adults are being recruited to participate in a clinical trial of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine, the National Institutes of Health announced Dec. 10.

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.

Dengue Fever

MEXICO CITY — Sanofi Pasteur announced Dec. 9 that it is expanding its dengue vaccine clinical program in Latin America with a new multicenter study in children and adolescents in Mexico, Colombia, Honduras and Puerto Rico.

Hepatitis B

Dynavax Technologies Corp. announced Dec. 9 that its manufacturing facility in Dusseldorf, Germany, has been approved for the commercial production of hepatitis B surface antigen.

H1N1

In fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza, the virus can damage cells throughout the respiratory airway, much like the viruses that caused the 1918 and 1957 influenza pandemics.

The H1N1 swine flu has sickened at least 22 million and killed almost 4,000 in the United States since April, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

GRNVAC1

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Geron Corp. announced Dec. 8 the presentation of interim data from its phase II trial of GRNVAC1, an autologous dendritic cell vaccine, in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of

Hartmut Schubert

Six weeks after Germany began vaccinating against swine flu, only about five percent of the population has gotten the shots.

H1N1 Vaccine

Fewer Europeans are getting pandemic flu vaccine than typically get seasonal flu shots, as safety concerns and lower-than-expected death rates have damped demand, Bloomberg reported Dec. 8.

Flu vaccine shortages in developing nations may destabilize global security should the H1N1 virus become more deadly, said David Heymann, a former deputy head of the World Health Organization.

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.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — NanoBio Corp. announced Dec. 7 that its recombinant H5N1 pandemic flu antigen combined with the company’s novel nanoemulsion vaccine elevated immune responses when administered via injections.

Universal Flu Vaccine

RECHOVOT, Israel — BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd. announced the success of the Phase I/II clinical trial of its Multimeric-001 universal flu vaccine on Dec. 7.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — A union is taking the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to arbitration because five people who refused to get the seasonal flu vaccine said they were fired.

Flu Vaccine

WASHINGTON — Congress, the Obama administration and taxpayers need to accept that drugmakers are not going to pursue discovery and development of emergency medical countermeasures out of the kindness of their hearts.

Donating Blood

SHANGHAI — City health authorities launched their latest drive in the fight against swine flu, calling on people who have been vaccinated against the virus to donate blood for emergency-treatment storage.

H1N1

DETROIT — Whether it's mistrust of the government or confusion in the message, minorities aren't lining up to get vaccinated against H1N1 as they should.

Human Papillomavirus

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Cervarix protects women from infection for longer than six years, new research has found, HealthDay News reported Dec. 2.

Herpes Zoster

OAKLAND, Calif. — Herpes zoster, also known as shingles, is very rare among children who have been vaccinated against chicken pox, according to a Kaiser Permanente study in the December issue of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal.

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.

world health organization

Two recently treated patients at the Johns Hopkins Hospital had drug-resistant forms of the 2009 H1N1 flu virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Americans Speak Out: Why We Got the Flu Vaccine, a video that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, features Americans talking about why they chose to get vaccinated against the 2009 H1N1 flu virus.

H1N1

The relatively low number of new cases created by a single case of H1N1 influenza indicates that mitigation strategies such as vaccination, social distancing and the use of antiviral drugs may help lessen the final impact of the virus.

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.

Measles

LONDON -- Global deaths from measles fell by 78 percent between 2000 and 2008 thanks largely to mass childhood vaccination campaigns, but experts say death rates may rise again if complacency allows immunization efforts to lag.

Harald zur Hausen

CALCUTTA, India — Cervical cancer vaccines should cost less to be more effective in lowering the death rate caused by the disease a Nobel laureate said, according to a report in The Times of India on Dec. 3.

Since the national voluntary H1N1 vaccination campaign began in early October, more than 70 million doses of vaccine have been allocated by the federal government to all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.

Thomas Frieden

Decreasing pandemic flu activity and growing supplies of vaccine offer a window of opportunity for people to protect themselves from the virus, especially if the nation experiences a third wave of infections.

COX-1

With flu season in full swing and the threat of H1N1 looming, demand for vaccines is at an all-time high. However, researchers suggest that over-the-counter drugs may lessen their effect, ScienceDaily reported Dec. 2.

Anthony Fauci

WASHINGTON, D.C. — America’s pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies are testing 97 medicines and vaccines to treat or prevent HIV/AIDS and related conditions.

H1N1

The number of states with widespread pandemic flu activity dropped for the third week in a row, but the virus continued to take a heavy toll on children, with at least 27 more pediatric deaths reported the week of Nov 15 to 21.

H1N1 Flu Vaccine

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Health submitted an order for 259,800 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 25.

Anders Hedegaard

KVISTGARD, Denmark — Bavarian Nordic A/S announced Nov. 30 that it expects to file a new drug submission for its third-generation smallpox vaccine, Imvamune with Health Canada in the second half of 2010.

LONDON — GlaxoSmithKline announced Dec. 1 that the World Health Organization has awarded prequalification for global use of Arepanrix, its adjuvanted H1N1 pandemic vaccine manufactured in Canada.

The Center for Disease Control has reported 35 flu-related pediatric deaths across 19 states during the week ending November 21, which brings the total to 301 cases so far in 2009. There were 90 in 2008, 77 in 2007, 43 in 2006 and 45 in 2005.

J. Joseph Kim

SAN DIEGO — Inovio Biomedical Corp. announced Nov. 30 that its partner Tripep AB of Sweden has completed its phase I clinical study of its ChronVac-C hepatitis C virus DNA vaccine delivered using Inovio's electroporation technology.

Flu Vaccine

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Novavax announced Nov. 30 that it has completed enrollment in the Phase II clinical study of its trivalent seasonal influenza virus-like particle vaccine candidate in healthy adults 60 years of age or older.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Agriflu for people ages 18 years and older to prevent disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and B.

H1N1 Vaccine

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Health reminded parents and health care providers Nov. 30 that children younger than 10 should receive two doses of H1N1 flu vaccine in order to achieve optimal protection against pandemic flu.

GlaxoSmithKline announced Nov. 30 that it has filed its vaccine for the prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis (approved as Rotarix in several countries outside of Japan).

Avian flu

The Ministry of Health of Egypt has reported a new confirmed human case of avian influenza A (H5N1), the World Health Organization said Nov. 27.

MANILA, Philippines — The World Health Organization promised on Nov. 26 to donate 9 million H1N1 flu shots to the Philippines, and assured the country the vaccines were safe, Reuters reported.

"America needs to produce vaccines and therapeutics faster and less expensively than we have been because we might not have six months of advance warning for the next pandemic."

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Baxter International Inc. says it is looking into building a cell-based vaccine manufacturing plant in the U.S. to produce seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines, the Chicago Tribune reported Nov. 26

H1N1

GENEVA — Tamiflu resistance in some H1N1 patients with badly weakened immune systems does not seem to reflect a major change in the virus' susceptibility to the frontline drug, the World Health Organization said Nov. 26.

Weidong Yin

BEIJING — Sinovac Biotech Ltd. announced Nov. 25 that it executed a joint venture agreement to establish Sinovac (Dalian) Vaccine Technology Co. Ltd. to research, develop, produce and commercialize human-use vaccines.

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.

ATLANTA, Ga. — The Centers for Disease Control issued a warning Nov. 25 that catching the H1N1 virus can put patients at risk, not only of developing complications, but also serious bacterial pneumonia.

Mark Horton

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The California Department of Public Health announced the tally for filling H1N1 vaccine orders stands at nearly 5.2 million doses.

H1N1 Vaccine

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Health submitted an order for 438,900 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 20.

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.

Jean Stephenne

LONDON -- GlaxoSmithKline announced Nov. 23 that more than 40 million doses of its adjuvanted pandemic H1N1 vaccine have been distributed to countries globally for use in government-initiated vaccination programs.

Anne Schuchat

Every holiday season, millions of Americans travel through the nation's airports, seaports, and train stations to spend time with loved ones.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Tests have confirmed that samples from four patients with H1N1 influenza were found to be resistant to oseltamivir, known by the brand name Tamiflu.

Daisy Mafubelu

New data, released by the GAVI Alliance this week, shows that by the end of 2009 more than 4 million premature deaths caused by pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and hepatitis B will be prevented through GAVI support.

HANOI, Vietnam — Through its commitment to immunization and other child health interventions, Vietnam has drastically reduced its child deaths, the GAVI Alliance announced Nov. 20 during its partner forum.

Santa-America

Santa-America, a service charity, recommends that all Kris Kringles get their jolly old selves vaccinated against H1N1 influenza and pneumonia.

Leaders of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee sharply critiqued the federal government's H1N1 vaccination strategy saying health officials should have recommended targeting only the highest-risk groups as soon as the vaccine delays came.

Pentavalent Vaccine

HANOI, Vietnam — Following the increasing impact of the GAVI Alliance on the vaccine market, the price of one of the major combination vaccines, the pentavalent, is falling considerably.

Anne Schuchat

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal officials, along with representatives from four vaccine companies, appeared before two U.S. House of Representatives committees to answer questions about why the nation hasn't stretched scarce pandemic vaccine supply.

Sid the Science Kid

A special episode of PBS KIDS’ TV show, "Sid the Science Kid," where Sid explores the science behind flu vaccinations is now available for free download on flu.gov.

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.

BETHESDA, Md. — Federal health experts said Nov. 17 that an updated version of Pfizer's best-selling anti-infection vaccine is safe and effective for infants and toddlers, despite company studies that failed to meet certain goals.

Yellow Fever

GENEVA and NEW YORK — The largest-ever yellow fever mass vaccination campaign is set to kick off next week across three African countries, the World Health Organization announced Nov. 17.

Dr. Emilio Emini

WASHINGTON — Pfizer Inc's next-generation Prevnar vaccine missed some of the main goals in a study testing its ability to protect against bacteria that cause ear infections, pneumonia and other diseases.

Andrin Oswald

Novartis’ recently sanctioned unadjuvanted influenza H1N1 2009 monovalent vaccine may be effective at just half the dose currently stipulated under its FDA approval, according to interim data from ongoing clinical trials.

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.

H1N1

LYON, France — Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group announced that the French drug agency Afssaps has granted marketing authorization in France for Panenza, its non-adjuvanted Influenza H1N1 2009 monovalent vaccine.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the CSL Limited’s 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine to include children ages 6 months and older. This vaccine was previously approved only for use in adults, ages 18 years and older.

Jean Stephenne

LONDON and ROCKVILLE, Md. — GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals and Nabi Biopharmaceuticals have announced an exclusive worldwide option and licensing agreement for a vaccine for the treatment of nicotine addiction.

President Bill Clinton

CHICAGO — Former President Bill Clinton says he believes there's going to be a vaccine for AIDS found before anyone discovers a cure for the disease, WBBM Radio reported.

H1N1

OTTAWA — Canada's top medical official defended the national H1N1 vaccination campaign on Nov. 12, and said the costs of doing nothing would be far higher than the money spent immunizing millions of people.

World Health Organization

MORRIS PLAINS, N.J. — Temptime Corp. announced that it will donate its vaccine vial monitors to the World Health Organization to monitor potential heat damage of H1N1 vaccines.

Mumps Virus

ATLANTA — U.S. health officials say the largest U.S. outbreak of mumps in three years is occurring in New York and New Jersey, The Associated Press reports.

The Center for Disease Control has reported 21 flu-related deaths among children across 15 states during the week ending November 14. The numbers went down from the previous 35 cases in 17 states.

Malaria

ATLANTA -- There were ten cases of malaria reported across the United States during the week ending October 10th, four of which occurred in Virginia.

GALVESTON, Texas — Vical Inc. reported Nov. 10 that it has a strong rationale advocating the use of DNA vaccine technology for emerging and/or pandemic infectious diseases.

Dr. Michael Gale Jr.

SEATTLE— Kineta Inc. has announced that it has been awarded a $6.8 million subcontract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop novel vaccine adjuvants (agents that help boost the immune system).

Dr. Rahul Singhvi

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Novavax Inc. has begun a Phase IIa clinical study of its trivalent seasonal influenza VLP vaccine candidate in healthy adults over age 60.

The Center for Disease Control has reported 18 flu-related deaths among children that occurred in nine states during the week ending October 31.

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.

Andrew Witty

LONDON — GlaxoSmithKline on Nov. 10 announced that it has signed an agreement with the World Health Organization to donate 50 million doses of its adjuvanted pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine for distribution to developing countries most in need.

Jean Stéphenne

LONDON — GlaxoSmithKline announced Nov. 9 the results from the clinical trial assessing Pandemrix, GSK’s adjuvanted H1N1 influenza vaccine, administered at the same time as the annual seasonal influenza vaccine, Fluarix.

LONDON and PHILADELPHIA — GlaxoSmithKline announced Nov. 10 that the Food and Drug Administration has approved a supplemental biologics license application for its unadjuvanted H1N1 influenza vaccine.

The following is an open letter dated Nov. 10 to health care professionals from Margaret A. Hamburg, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

Flu Finder

This year, it's especially important to have clear information on what you can do to prepare for the flu season.

Polio

GOZ BEIDA, Chad —A three-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign began Oct. 30 throughout Chad, including in the east where according to the World Health Organization the rate of routine immunizations is among the weakest nationwide, IRIN news reported.

The Center for Disease Control has reported 35 flu-related pediatric deaths that occurred in 17 states during the week ending November 9. The previous week only reported 18 deaths in nine states.

Dr Margaret Chan

Reversing a downward trend, immunization rates are at their highest ever and vaccine development worldwide is booming, according to an assessment released Oct. 21 by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the World Bank.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced in September 2009 that it received a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to continue the development of an advanced anthrax vaccine candidates known as dmPA7909.

Tuberculosis

OXFORD, United Kingdom; ROCKVILLE, Md.; and NANTES, France — The Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium Ltd., announced the signing of a commercial license agreement with Vivalis to evaluate large-scale commercial production capabilities for MVA85A.

Fuad El-Hibri

OXFORD, United Kingdom; ROCKVILLE, Md.; and BERLIN — The Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium Ltd. announced the signing of a commercial license agreement with ProBioGen, to evaluate large-scale commercial production capabilities for MVA85A.

TB

The Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation, the Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium Ltd., Isis Innovation Ltd., the Wellcome Trust and the University of Cape Town announce the start of a Phase IIb proof-of-concept clinical trial of a new TB vaccine.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued an additional amendment to its request for proposal for an anthrax recombinant protective antigen (rPA) vaccine.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — The Department of Health and Human Services requested that bidders in the competitive range for a contract to develop an rPA vaccine candidate submit its product development plans to the FDA for review in advance of an award.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced March 17, 2009, that the Phase I/II clinical trial for its anthrax immune globulin (AIG) therapeutic candidate has commenced with the initial treatment given to the first subject.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that the U.S. FDA has approved its supplemental biologics license application for Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed BioThrax, the only FDA-licensed vaccine to prevent disease caused by Bacillus anthracis.

Anthrax

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that two medical countermeasures included in its anthrax franchise have been included as covered countermeasures under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act.

BioThrax

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that it has signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to supply an additional 14.5 million doses of BioThrax for inclusion in the Strategic National Stockpile.

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.

BioThrax

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that the Department of Health and Human Services has informed the company that its proposal to provide a recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine (rPA) is technically acceptable.

Anthrax

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced Sept. 3, 2008, that it has received a contract from the Department of Health and Human Services for about $24.3 million to further develop of its anthrax monoclonal antibody AVP-21D9.

Anthrax

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced July 31, 2008, that it has submitted a proposal in response to a request by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine (rPA).

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that it has secured two grants totaling more than $4.5 million from the NIAID to fund the continued development of the company’s recombinant botulinum (rBOT) and next-generation anthrax vaccine (NGAV) candidates.

TB

The University of Oxford and Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced July 23, 2008, that they have formed the Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium Ltd. to further develop MVA85A, a vaccine candidate for the prevention of tuberculosis.

Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi

ROCKVILLE, MD. —Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that dosing of patients has begun in a U.S. Phase II clinical trial of the company’s single-dose oral typhoid vaccine candidate.

Anthrax

ROCKVILLE, Md. —Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that on March 6, 2008, it completed the acquisition of a group of anthrax monoclonal antibodies from AVANIR Pharmaceuticals, including Avanir’s lead product candidate, AVP-21D9.

Typhoid

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that its single-dose, drinkable typhoid vaccine candidate was highly immunogenic and well-tolerated with an acceptable safety profile in the population studied.

BioThrax

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. that it has successfully completed the fourth-quarter 2006 deliveries of more than 3 million doses of BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Fuad El-Hibri

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that it would celebrate its recently completed initial public offering with the ringing of the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange by chairman and CEO Fuad El-Hibri on Nov. 22, 2006.

Anthrax

Emergent BioSolutions announced that it has been awarded two grants from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases totaling $3.8 million to support the development of the anthrax immune globulin (AIG) therapeutic product.

Emergent BioSolutions announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has granted its application for designation and certification of BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) as a “qualified anti-terrorism technology.”

LANSING, Mich. — Emergent BioSolutions announced the dedication of a $75 million vaccine production facility for its BioDefense Operations in a ceremony July 21, 2006, at its campus here.

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced June 21, 2006, that a former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been named to its board of directors.

Anthrax

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that the FDA has issued a final order confirming that the company’s anthrax vaccine, BioThrax, is safe and effective for immunization against infection, regardless of the route of exposure.

Dr Steven Chatfield

GAITHERSBURG, Md. —Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced the commencement of dosing of volunteer subjects in a clinical study in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the company’s single-dose oral typhoid vaccine.

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions announced positive results from a Phase II clinical study evaluating a simplified dosing regimen for the company’s next-generation single-dose oral typhoid vaccine.

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.

Fuad El-Hibri

GAITHERSBURG, Md., and LONDON —Emergent BioSolutions and the British-based Health Protection Agency on Jan. 14, 2005, announced a two-year collaboration for the development of vaccines to prevent botulism.