PowderMed starts flu vaccine trial in UK

People in London, UK, are being offered the opportunity to sign up for a clinical trial to test a new DNA vaccine from PowderMed. The study has been approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and will test, for the first time, whether a DNA vaccine can protect people from infection with influenza.

PowderMed's chief medical officer, John Beadle, said: "this particular trial is unique because it will be the first to assess the ability of our DNA vaccine to protect human volunteers against flu.

The study is one of three being conducted this year by the British company to assess its vaccine's ability to protect against annual and pandemic flu. The first phase is being carried out at the Guy's Drug Research Unit of Quintiles UK.