Little growth expected in US vaccine R&D for the rest of decade, reports Tufts

Although the number of anti-infective vaccines entering clinical study each year since 2000 has been higher on average than it was in the 1990s, recent trends suggest there may be little growth globally in this product area for the rest of this decade, according to a recently completed analysis from the USA-based Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development.

"Despite widespread agreement that new vaccines are an important public health priority, development remains slow, expensive and risky," said Tufts CSDD director Kenneth Kaitin.

Each year from 2000 through 2004, clinical studies were initiated for 14 products, compared with an average of 12 each year from 1990 to 1999, according to findings reported in the July/August Tufts CSDD Impact Report.