|
IN THE NEWS 2007
July 2, 2007
A safer smallpox vaccine available?
Summary
Background - There is considerable concern about the potential use of a smallpox epidemic as a bioterrorism weapon. Most USA citizens have not received the previous smallpox vaccine because smallpox has been eradicated in the USA and the current vaccine has infrequent, but serious potential adverse effects.
Findings - A news release noted that.the US Department of HHS has awarded major Bioshield contract to Bavarian Nordic, a Danish biotechnology company, to manufacture and deliver 20 million doses of Imvamune, their next generation smallpox vaccine. Imvamune is based on the Modified Vaccinia Ankara virus which is live but does not replicate in the body; it is also not accidentally transferred to others who might be immune-compromised.
Editor's Comments
Reportedly, Imvamune has been found to be safe and well tolerated in 1500 study subjects, including those with atopic dermatitis or HIV infections. The reasons given for the lack of transmission to others is because Imvamune is injected (SubQ? IM?) rather than injected into the skin in the prick-puncture technique used for the existent smallpox vaccine. The evidence for the clinical efficacy of Imvamune was not shown in this report
|