Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5ec1bd/special_report_th) has announced the addition of Decision Resources, Inc.'s new report "Special Report: The Pandemic Paradigm: Balancing Commercial Opportunities with Public Health Concerns in the Face of A/H1N1 2009" to their offering.
WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) are advising countries to prepare for a more severe second wave of A/H1N1 2009 in the winter of 2009-2010. This advisement could be warranted, given that no infectious disease has killed more people in a short period of time than influenza. Without preventive measures—such as vaccines—the current A/H1N1 ("swine flu") 2009 pandemic could claim more than 1 million lives in the seven major markets we cover. The onus on public health agencies and the pharmaceutical industry, therefore—both now and in the future—is to learn from their past successes and failures to ensure that systems are in place that can quickly identify, prevent, and treat a pandemic virus.
Questions Answered in This Report
Prior to A/H1N1, SARS and H5N1 ("avian flu") influenza were the first major infectious disease scares of the millennium.
- What lessons did these two events provide?
- How are lessons learned from these infectious outbreaks being applied to the current A/H1N1 2009 situation?
Without preventive measures such as vaccines, A/H1N1 2009 will affect a considerable number of people in the major markets under study.
- How many cases, hospitalizations, and deaths will result if no preventive measures are put in place?
Traditional methods of vaccine production are being challenged by new technologies.
- What are the old technologies and what advantages will the new vaccine technologies have over them?
- What companies are involved in these new technologies?
- How are the emerging vaccines differentiating themselves from one another?
Vaccines for A/H1N1 2009 were approved by the FDA beginning on September 15, 2009.
- Which companies obtained FDA approval for their vaccines?
- Which patient populations are each of these companies permitted to vaccinate?
- Despite these approvals, what obstacles stand in the way of vaccines coming out in the coming months?
Antivirals and diagnostics are useful tools in the A/H1N1 2009 fight, but each technology has room for improvement.