Novartis' MF59 boosts bird flu vacc response

Novartis says a new study shows that individuals immunized six years earlier with an MF59-adjuvanted H5N3 vaccine mounted a protective immune response seven days after a single immunization with an H5N1 (clade 1) vaccine containing the same proprietary adjuvant.

According to data presented at the Third European Influenza Conference, in Vilamoura, Portugal, immune response was broadly cross reactive and covered all H5N1 clades known to date. The Swiss drug major noted that responses were seen even against viral strains not included in either vaccines suggesting proactive priming strategies with an MF59 adjuvanted-H5 vaccine may have the potential to help save lives in an avian influenza pandemic situation.

"These data highlight the potential for priming the public against an avian influenza of pandemic proportion with the MF59 adjuvant. The results indicate that, regardless of which avian strain individuals are originally primed with, they are quickly protected against a broad range of avian strains following their MF59-adjuvanted booster vaccine, even strains they were not initially inoculated against," said study investigator Iain Stephenson, adding that this could provide a rationale to fight a flu pandemic by proactively immunizing the public with a MF59 pre-pandemic vaccine.