Vaxine trials show 1st swine flu vaccine works well

Vaxine trials show 1st swine flu vaccine works well

Narayanan Suresh

Singapore, Aug 26, 2009: The initial results from the clinical trials of the world’s first recombinant vaccine against swine flu, developed by a small South Australian biotech company, Vaxine Pty Ltd, indicates that the vaccine is working well in humans. Vaxine started the human clinical trials of the world’s first swine flu vaccine, on July 20, 2009. Three days ahead of Australia’s pharma giant CSL’s vaccine trials. “The safety data so far is excellent and the vaccine is better tolerated than even the standard flu vaccine,” Vaxine Pty’s research director, Prof Nikolai Petrovsky, told BioSpectrum. Prof Petrovsky said Vaxine’s swin flu vaccine has been tested in three different doses of antigen ranging from 3 to 45 micrograms of haemagglutinin with and without adjuvant. The company is using its own proprietary Advax adjuvant. The vaccine’s antigen is a recombinant protein supplied by Protein Sciences Corporation, based in Meridien, USA. The vaccine is designed to provide powerful protection against influenza through anti-influenza antibodies, and T-cells which are some of the key components of the body’s natural defense against the influenza virus. Seven other trials of swine flu vaccine developed by vaccine companies in five countries are currently going on. Being the world’s first swine flu vaccine, this Australian company’s efforts are watched avidly around the world. The efficacy data of the vaccine is expected to release in a few weeks. For the clinical trials, the Vaxine’s vaccine has been administered to 275 male and female patients in the age group of 18 to 70 at Flinders Medical Center in Adelaide. Vaxine is a spinout of Flinders University. The clinical trials are being conducted by Prof David Gordon at Flinders University. China’s Sinovac has announced that the results of its swine flu vaccine trials which started a week after Vaxine, has also been good. Sinovac is using a single dose of 15 mg. Prof Petrovsky said his company’s genetically-engineered vaccine has several advantages over other products such as CSL’s egg based vaccine. “Our vaccine is free of egg protein contaminants and so is safe for people with serious egg allergy. The vaccine also does not have viral RNA contaminants that cause occasional severe reactogenecity and being in single dose vials does not contain thiomersal,” Vaxine’s research head says. Set up in 2002, Vaxine has started clinical trials of its other vaccines for seasonal flu, Japanese encephalitis, Hepatitis B and bee sting allergy. Vaxine was quickly off the block in the global race to develop a vaccine against swine flu. “Never before has a new influenza vaccine been delivered to the clinic so far. It is extraordinary what has been achieved in less than three months since the seed virus was first identified,” says Dr Dimitar Sajkov, one of Vaxine’s clinical investigators. He indicated that the success of Vaxine’s vaccine could signal the beginning of the end for old-fashioned egg-based vaccines. Most of the seasonal flu vaccines are grown using the chicken-egg method as the virus is known to grow very well in this medium. Vaxine has already received many enquiries for the supply of the vaccine from countries like Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. In mid-August, Vaxine was honored with the National Innovation Award at the Telstra Business Awards in Sydney, recognizing the company’s breakthrough efforts in the development of swine flu vaccine.

© BioSpectrum Bureau