Sanofi Pasteur's developmental H5N1 vaccine shows efficacy in French study

The results of a recent study, published on-line in The Lancet, demonstrated that a candidate H5N1 influenza vaccine, which has been developed by French firm Sanofi Pasteur, generated an immune response at a range of dosages and was well-tolerated.

The trial was run as a randomized, open-label assessment of the efficacy of a range of vaccines, with and without adjuvants, in 300 healthy subjects aged 18 to 40. Participants were randomized to receive one of six inactivated split influenza A/Vietnam/1194/2004 (H5N1) vaccine formulations, in addition to being allocated one of three quantities of viral hemagglutinin. Each subject received the formulation via two intramuscular injections which were administered 21 days apart. The aim of the project was to determine the safety profile of the various formulations and to assess the immune response which they elicited.

Significant immune-response to all formulations