Glaxo has a vaccine against H5N1

Many pharmaceutical companies participated in vaccine manufacturing research (Photo: PA)

This vaccine proved to be effective in the trial of 3.8 micrograms and Glaxo said the exact dose was important.

Firms want only the smallest dose as this will produce more doses.

Experimental results have not been announced by Glaxo, but the company says countries can now order vaccines to receive them in early 2007. create vaccine.

A study published in Lancet in May found Sanofi's vaccine to be effective when administered in two doses of 7.5 micrograms.

Another company, Baxter International, has been ordered by Health UK for two million doses of vaccine to supply government employees.

Concerns about a pandemic

The biggest concern now is that the H5N1 virus will merge with another virus and transform into a strain that can be transmitted from human to human.

Since 2003, 231 people have been infected with bird flu and 133 of them have died.

However, it has not been discovered that the bird flu strain can spread from person to person and because no one knows how this strain, if it is, will be configured, it is difficult to produce a specific vaccine.

Bird flu spreads in many countries (Photo: AFP)

However, some firms, including Glaxo, are looking for ways to make a vaccine based on the H5N1 strain currently in existence, because it is still better anyway. Glaxo said it will begin discussing with governments about whether they want to order vaccines and how much to order.

Glaxo's vaccine is currently on the priority list to be reviewed by European and US pharmaceutical regulators. Glaxo has been granted US $ 272 million by the United States to develop vaccine to prevent disease.

There are still many questions

However, there are still many issues that need to be resolved before the pandemic vaccine can hit the market.

First of all, it is not clear whether Glaxo can produce as many vaccine as soon as possible and how difficult it is to transfer from the laboratory to mass production.

Secondly, no one or if the H5N1 virus changes, is this vaccine still effective?

Glaxo believes that his company's vaccine still works when the virus variant is slightly changed. The company also said the vaccine's price would be higher than regular flu vaccine, which is about £ 4 / injection.

Also according to Glaxo, the side effects of bird flu vaccine are similar to those of regular influenxa, and are only high in some patients.

Glaxo bought Canadian vaccine processing company ID Biomed for $ 2 billion last year and is now the second largest vaccine manufacturer worldwide after Sanofi.