Bird Flu News and Research

RSS

Financial Times analysis examines efforts to address dual risk research

A Financial Times analysis examines how the international community is working "to ensure scientific work can proceed without falling prey to accidental leaks or malevolent intent," following controversy surrounding two studies on the H5N1 bird flu virus.

12 Apr 2012

2-day meeting examining issues of censorship of scientific studies leaves questions unanswered

A two-day Royal Society meeting held this week in London -- which examined "whether scientific journals should occasionally publish censored versions of papers because the full ones might prove useful to terrorists" -- "brought scientists no closer to resolving the question of whether there are any kinds of experiments whose results should be kept from the public," the Washington Post reports.

6 Apr 2012

Discussion of NSABB recommendation to publish controversial bird flu studies to continue in London meeting

The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity's (NSABB) "reversal on publishing two controversial H5N1 studies is poised to shift discussions on the topic that continue in London this week, as more participants in the debate weigh in following the March 30 announcement," CIDRAP News reports.

4 Apr 2012

NSABB recommends full publication of controversial bird flu studies

The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) on Friday recommended that revised versions of two controversial studies on H5N1 avian flu be published in scientific journals, reversing its previous recommendation that the studies only be published if certain details were withheld, the New York Times reports.

3 Apr 2012

Controversial study on lethal bird flu virus strain to be published

The controversial study on lethal flu virus strain is likely to be published in full. Last December the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity - NSABB recommended the two papers not be published in full by the journals - Nature and Science. The panel was concerned that details of the studies, which induced mutations in the H5N1 avian flu virus that made it transmissible among mammals by air rather than by close physical contact, could be used for bioterrorism. Critics of the recommendation raised fears that important science was being censored.

2 Apr 2012

NanoViricides reports positive pre-IND meeting with USFDA for FluCide

NanoViricides, Inc. announced today that its previously announced pre-IND Meeting was held with the USFDA on March 29th, 2012, as scheduled. This pre-IND meeting focused on FluCide, designated as NV-INF-1, the Company's novel anti-influenza drug.

2 Apr 2012

U.S. releases policy requiring dual-use biological research reviews amid bird flu debate

"The U.S. government on Thursday released a new policy that will require federal agencies to systematically review the potential risks associated with federally funded studies involving 15 'high consequence' pathogens and toxins, including the H5N1 avian influenza virus," Science Insider reports.

31 Mar 2012

Researchers, experts debate publication of H5N1 research amid updated studies

"As researchers from both sides of the debate over two controversial H5N1 studies weighed in Tuesday on full publication versus a more cautionary approach, two U.S. journals" -- the Journal of Infectious Diseases (JID) and its sister publication, Clinical Infectious Diseases -- "said they are developing policies to address any future such instances," CIDRAP News writes.

30 Mar 2012

Scientific research is crucial to preventing, controlling, eradicating infectious diseases

The debate about two studies showing that, with few genetic mutations, H5N1 bird flu strains could become more easily transmissible among ferrets, a laboratory model for humans, "has become a debate about the role of science in society.

30 Mar 2012

National biosecurity panel to hold closed-door meeting on bird flu research

The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) is scheduled this week to hold "a closed-door meeting to once again look at unpublished manuscripts describing" two studies that showed how H5N1 bird flu virus could be manipulated to become transmissible among ferrets, a model for humans, NPR's health blog "Shots" reports, noting that the meeting "will include a classified briefing from the intelligence community."

27 Mar 2012

WHO hopes for release of bird flu studies, prepares for second meeting on controversy

Keiji Fukuda, WHO assistant director-general for health security and environment, "is hoping bird flu studies currently in publishing limbo will be released by the time the agency hosts a second meeting on the controversy this summer," the Canadian Press/Winnipeg Free Press reports.

20 Mar 2012

Rep. Sensenbrenner sends 'fact-finding letter' to White House science adviser about bird flu studies

"Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), a former head of the House committees on science and the judiciary, and currently vice chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, last week sent a 'fact-finding letter' to White House science adviser John Holdren, asking pointed questions about how the U.S. government has handled the controversy" surrounding two studies that showed how H5N1 bird flu virus could be manipulated to become transmissible among ferrets, a model for humans, "and questioning whether it should have funded the two flu studies," ScienceInsider reports.

6 Mar 2012

FDA confirms FluCide pre-IND meeting date with NanoViricides

NanoViricides, Inc. announced today that March 29th, 2012 has been confirmed by the US FDA as the date for its initial meeting with the Company's scientists. This pre-IND meeting will focus on FluCide, designated as NV-INF-1, the Company's novel anti-influenza drug.

5 Mar 2012

EC grants marketing authorization for Baxter's VEPACEL to treat influenza A

Baxter International Inc. announced today that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for VEPACEL in all European Union (EU) Member States, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

From Baxter International Inc. 2 Mar 2012

U.S. panel may re-evaluate bird flu research after scientists present new data about risks to humans

Speaking at the American Society for Microbiology's (ASM) Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research meeting in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Ron Fouchier, the leader of the team at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands that genetically altered the H5N1 bird flu virus, making it transmissible among ferrets and "touching off public fears of a pandemic, said that the virus he created was neither as contagious nor as dangerous as people had been led to believe, prompting the United States government to ask that the experiments be re-evaluated by a government advisory panel that recommended in December that certain details of the work be kept secret and not published," the New York Times reports.

1 Mar 2012

Flu season starts late but may be just as virulent: CDC

Dr. Joseph Bresee, chief of the epidemiology prevention branch at the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said for the third consecutive week this season the percent of respiratory specimen testing positive for flu surpassed 10 percent, which is generally a marker to indicate the flu season has begun. “This is the latest start to a flu season in the past 29 years,” said Dr. Bresee.

27 Feb 2012

Bird flu may be more common and less deadly: Study finds

The H5N1 influenza virus commonly called “bird flu” or “avian flu” could be more prevalent and less deadly than health officials had thought, according to a new study published online (Feb. 23) by the journal Science.

26 Feb 2012

Two new analyses raise questions about mortality rate of bird flu

In an analysis published Thursday in the online edition of the journal Science, a team led by virologist Peter Palese of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York argue the mortality rate from H5N1 bird flu is under one percent, much lower than the WHO's estimated fatality rate of 59 percent, Reuters reports.

24 Feb 2012

Additional discussion needed before final decision made on publication of bird flu studies

Attendees of a recent WHO meeting that discussed the possible publication in the journals Nature and Science of two studies that modified H5N1 bird flu strains to show the virus could be more easily transmissible among humans decided publication of redacted versions would be ineffective and that "a system for distributing the full paper only to selected individuals would be impossible to set up on any relevant timescale," a Nature editorial states.