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While the United States has put any decision to use adjuvants – chemical additives to a vaccine designed to increase the recipient’s immune response – on hold, in Canada and Europe plans are to use these compounds to stretch the vaccine supply.
It now appears that adjuvanted vaccines may provide significant immunity with just one shot, as opposed to the two shots anticipated for an unadjuvanted vaccine. And that not only increases the number of people who can be vaccinated, it also means the recipient gains immunity several weeks sooner as well.
And if that was all there was to it, everyone would want an adjuvanted vaccine. And maybe someday, they will . . .
But right now, there is precious little data on the long term effects of adjuvanted flu vaccines when used on children, young adults, and pregnant women in particular. No serious problems have been detected over years of use in Europe, but it has been used primarily on the elderly, to provoke a better immune response.
After the swine flu vaccination problems in 1976 (see Deja Flu, All Over Again), scientists and officials in the United States would just as soon not add the `complication’ of a largely untested, and as yet unapproved, additive to a pandemic vaccine.
This has led to a good deal of International criticism, since other nations see this as the United States using more of the global vaccine supply than they would have to if they embraced the use of adjuvants.
Today, Canada has announced their intention to purchase 1.2 million doses of an unadjuvanted vaccine, to be offered to pregnant women.
Helen Branswell brings us the details of this decision, along with some good background on adjuvants, and the general reluctance of pregnant women to accept flu vaccines.
Canada to buy unadjuvanted vaccine for pregnant women, health officer says
Friday, 04 September 2009
TORONTO - Canada will purchase supplies of unadjuvanted swine flu vaccine to offer to pregnant women who might otherwise choose not to be vaccinated, the country's chief public health officer has revealed.
Dr. David Butler-Jones told The Canadian Press that Canada will buy 1.2 million doses of unadjuvanted pandemic vaccine which will be reserved for pregnant women, who are at significantly greater risk of becoming severely ill and dying if they contract the virus.
"I'm anticipating for pregnant women we will have an option," he said in an interview.
The vaccine will be supplied by GlaxoSmithKline, Canada's pandemic vaccine manufacturer, and is expected to be available at the same time as the country's other supplies of vaccine.
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