USA worst-hit by Swine Flu; vaccine race on

Last year, a company predicted that a H1N1 flu epidemic would occur within 6 to 12 months. A year later, that warning has come to pass, as the world records over 17,000 cases of H1N1 influenza in 64 countries, by June 1.

And the U.S. has become the country worst-hit by the swine flu epidemic, with over 10,000 confirmed cases appearing in all of the 50 states. Mexico reported about 5,000 cases, which is only half of what the U.S. has! (See this list for total H1N1 cases worldwide)

But after a month of near-panic, the fear has all but subsided. And yet, the WHO kept the pandemic alert at Level 5 since it was first raised a month ago, indicating that a pandemic is still imminent. And now the race for a H1N1 vaccine is accelerating, especially since fall (in the U.S.) is only 4 months away.

It takes about 4-5 months to develop an entirely-new line of influenza vaccine, so several biotech companies are ramping up their efforts. A vaccine called PanFlu is almost ready for clinical trials. The vaccine is produced by Replikins which is the same company that predicted the outbreaks. Pending approval, the vaccine can be manufactured within 7 days, Replikins chair Sam Bogoch.

Other biotech firms that developing the vaccine include Novavax, Medicago, Vaxinnate, Pulmatrix, Vaxart and NanoBio. The companies are in varying degrees of progress, so let’s all pray that either an effective vaccine is developed or the H1N1 virus just simply evaporate. Read the Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) “Ramping Up Flu Vaccine Efforts” for details on each vaccine on trial.

Image: Newscom