| ■ Bird Flu Vaccine Effective in 45 Percent of Adults | 07.03.12 |
| A vaccine to protect people against the H5N1 bird flu virus is even less effective than previously believed -- protecting just 45 percent of adults who received the highest dose, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration and drug company documents released Monday. An earlier interim analysis of data from the same 452-person study suggested the Sanofi Aventis vaccine triggered a protective immune response in 54 percent of users, the Associated Press reported. The final findings were made public just before Tuesday's meeting of a panel of FDA experts who will review the vaccine, the first H5N1 vaccine to be submitted for FDA approval. While the study shows that the vaccine is safe in people, the findings raise doubts about its effectiveness against the H5N1 virus. For example, seasonal flu vaccines protect 75 percent to 90 percent of vaccinated adults younger than age 65, the AP reported. |