Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

China life science companies receive 'Most Promising Company' awards

The 7th ChinaBio® Investor Forum, held December 2-3, 2009 in Tianjin, concluded a successful meeting by giving “Most Promising Company” awards to two young China life science companies.

7 Dec 2009

New approach to protein misfolding may lead to novel therapies for a number of diseases

In an encouraging new development, a team led by Scripps Research Institute scientists has restored partial function to lung cells collected from patients with cystic fibrosis. While there is still much work to be done before the therapy can be tested in humans, the discovery opens the door to a new class of therapies for this and a host of other chronic diseases.

7 Dec 2009

Chicken pox vaccine also reduces risk of herpes zoster in children

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.

5 Dec 2009

97 new drugs and vaccines in development for HIV/AIDS treatment, finds report

Chemistry World recently highlighted a new report published by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) that identifies 97 new drugs and vaccines in development for HIV/AIDS and related conditions.

5 Dec 2009

PharmAthene's Valortim demonstrates potential for anthrax treatment

PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that the Company is presenting results of a study demonstrating the effectiveness of Valortim® in an inhalation anthrax model in the New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit.

5 Dec 2009

Scientists report cervarix vaccine offers protection against cervical cancer

The Cervarix vaccine provides protection against two types of human papillomavirus (HPV) for more than six years, US scientists have reported.

5 Dec 2009

New data from PharmAthene's anthrax vaccine program presented

PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today the presentation of new data from the Company's anthrax vaccine program showing that its lyophilized recombinant Protective Antigen (rPA) based anthrax vaccine is structurally stable and potent after 16 months at various temperatures up to and including 55 degrees C.

5 Dec 2009

Number of new active TB cases increases from 2007 to 2008, WHO says

The WHO's Stop TB Department released data on Thursday at the 40th Union World Conference on Lung Health indicating that the number of new active TB cases worldwide rose from 9.27 million in 2007 to 9.4 million in 2008, Reuters reports. Experts, who were gathered for the conference in Cancun, Mexico, "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," according to the news service.

4 Dec 2009

Too early to declare end of H1N1 pandemic, WHO says

Though there are signs the H1N1 (swine flu) has peaked in the U.S. and Canada, a WHO flu expert said Thursday it is too early to declare the pandemic over, Canadian Press reports.

4 Dec 2009

Measles deaths decline worldwide by 78%, experts warn against complacency

Measles deaths fell from 733,000 in 2000 to 164,000 in 2008 - 78 percent - thanks, in part, to increased vaccination efforts that reached an estimated 700 million children, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S.-based Measles Initiative, Reuters reports.

4 Dec 2009

Foreign Policy examines 'philanthrocapitalism' trend

Foreign Policy examines "a revolutionary idea for how to remake charity in the 21st century [that] is taking off: philanthrocapitalism." The magazine writes: "Unlike their colleagues in government bureaucracies and tried-and-true NGOs, the philanthrocapitalists are a nimble, business-minded stock."

4 Dec 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

Ahead of the U.N. Climate Change conference in Copenhagen next week, a Lancet comment examines the health consequences associated with climate change and the case for linking climate and health goals. "The issue now is not whether climate change is occurring, but how we can respond most effectively. ... Responding to climate change is not a distraction from the business of protecting health: it is part of the same agenda," the author writes (Chan, 12/5).

4 Dec 2009

DCVax therapeutic cancer vaccine manufacturing process receives patent approval

Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc. ("NWBT" or the "Company") announced today that the US Patent and Trademark Office has allowed its patent application on a system for automation of the initial stages of the manufacture of the Company's DCVax® therapeutic cancer vaccines.

4 Dec 2009

Sudbury & District Public Health Unit nurses reach tentative settlement with employer

Following a long and difficult negotiations process, public health nurses with the Sudbury & District Public Health Unit have reached a tentative settlement with their employer.

4 Dec 2009

New study shows seasonal flu vaccine awareness is high among Hispanics, but vaccination rates are lower

Although there is high awareness of the need for seasonal influenza vaccines, a new study of Hispanics in one California county shows low rates of actual vaccination, especially among men.

4 Dec 2009

Study reveals that majority of all vaccine preventable deaths occur in those 65 and older

Ninety percent of all vaccine preventable deaths occur in those 65 and older, including residents in nursing homes, according to highlighted studies in the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority's 2009 December Patient Safety Advisory.

4 Dec 2009

GSK places a batch of AS03 adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine on hold

Following reports from Canada's Public Health Agency that six patients had suffered allergic reactions after receiving the shot, GlaxoSmithKline plc has voluntarily placed a hold on a single batch of the AS03 adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine Arepanrix in Canada as a precautionary measure.

4 Dec 2009

Adaptive vaccination strategies outperform seasonal influenza vaccination allocation strategies

Adaptive vaccination strategies, based on age patterns of hospitalizations and deaths monitored in real-time during the early stages of a pandemic, outperform seasonal influenza vaccination allocation strategies, according to findings reported Dec. 3 by researchers, including two from Arizona State University, in the online journal PLoS ONE.

4 Dec 2009

Integrative medicine and treatment strategies for the H1N1 infection discussed at the Buchang Forum

According to the World Health Organization, the human H1N1/09 Type A influenza ("Swine Flu") has reached a pandemic level. Over 500,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide with at least 6,500 fatalities. Since there is no longer a requirement to test and report individual cases, these numbers undoubtedly understate the real situation.

4 Dec 2009

Expert advice for organ transplant surgeons on clinical issues posed by swine flu pandemic

Surgeons and other healthcare professionals specialising in solid organ transplants have been issued with expert advice to guide them through the complex clinical issues posed by the global H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic.

4 Dec 2009