Can a usable H7N9 vaccine be made? Pending research should offer clues soon

Can a usable vaccine against the H7N9 bird flu virus be made? Studies that are about to start should offer clues soon, says the director of the U.S. government program spearheading the work. Four flu vaccine manufacturers have started or will soon start clinical trials on H7N9 vaccines, with four more expected to conduct trials in the late fall or early winter, says Dr. Robin Robinson. The work will cost the U.S. government about $100 million. GSK, which holds the major portion of Canada’s pandemic vaccine contract, is one of the manufacturers working on the project. It is making H7N9 vaccine at its plant in Ste-Foy, Que., but will conduct its clinical trial in the United States. Most of the vaccines will be tested with an adjuvant, a compound that boosts the impact of the vaccine and allows smaller doses to be used per person — a result known as antigen sparing. “We’re just...