China Approves Single-Dose Swine Flu Vaccine

By: RANDOLPH E. SCHMID

The Associated Press

BEIJING — The answer may be at hand to a crucial question about vaccination for the advancing swine flu — one shot or two? Chinese officials approved a vaccine Thursday that they say prevents the new flu in a single dose.

If they're right, it would be good news. Many health researchers fear it will take two shots to protect people, vastly complicating efforts to stem the spread of the illness.

The World Health Organization says it is encouraged after reviewing the test details from the vaccine by Beijing-based drug maker Sinovac Biotech Ltd. — one of several being developed in China. However, experts said more results are needed from other vaccine makers to determine if one dose would be potent enough.

Australia-based CSL should know within days whether one dose of its vaccine, administered to volunteers in that country in late July, was enough. CSL to date has been mum.

In about two weeks, the US expects to announce initial test results from its vaccine, which is the same type as one of the Chinese versions, said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the US National Institutes of Health.

"From what I've seen and heard of the data, it looks encouraging," Fauci said of the clinical trials of Sinovac vaccine. "This is very good news. Let's hope the material that we're using has similar results."Most experts agreed." Read The Rest Of The Story

Swine Flu Vaccine Order Questioned

ABC News

Posted 1 hour 1 minute ago
Updated 55 minutes ago

A company developing a swine flu vaccine has questioned the Federal Government ordering another vaccine before knowing whether it is effective.

The first batch of 21 million doses of the vaccine being developed by the pharmaceutical company CSL is expected to be delivered next week.

Adelaide-based company Vaxine is developing another swine flu vaccine.

The company's Professor Nikolai Petrovsky says data from his trials will be available within the next six weeks.

"The Government is clearly purchasing the CSL vaccine even while they are waiting for data to show the CSL vaccine is effective," he said.

"So in effect they are in a fortunate position of being able to sell their vaccine before they show it works, perhaps a slightly unusual situation, but that's where it's at.

"Obviously you wouldn't want the Government to make very large purchases of a vaccine and then have that vaccine turn out not to be effective, because then the money would have obviously been wasted."