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news.Vical Incorporated has reported that a single injection of the company's lead avian influenza DNA vaccine candidate provided 100% protection in ferrets against a highly virulent H5N1 virus.
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Conventional vaccines under development for avian flu typically have required two or more doses in humans. A single-dose vaccine regimen could prove beneficial during a pandemic, both in extending vaccine supply to protect a greater number of people, and in achieving protective immune responses as quickly as possible.
The company had previously demonstrated that two doses of the vaccine candidate provided 100% protection in mice and ferrets against lethal challenges with H5N1 virus.
“Our goal is to advance into human testing with this program as quickly as possible, both to provide a potential defense against a pandemic outbreak and to explore the potential for a seasonal flu vaccine using a similar approach,” said Vijay Samant, president and CEO of Vical.
Financial support for the study was provided under previously-announced grants from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.