LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - European regulators on Thursday endorsed the first of a new kind of 'micro' vaccine against seasonal flu from Sanofi-Aventis and a pandemic flu shot from Baxter International.
Both products were recommended for approval by experts at the European Medicines Agency in London, whose decisions are normally endorsed by the European Commission within a couple of months.
Sanofi's Intanza or IDflu vaccine is the first intradermal microinjection flu shot and was developed in collaboration Becton Dickinson, a specialist in injection technology.
Intradermal vaccination involves administering antigen into the dermal layer of the skin, which has a high concentration of specialised immune cells.
Sanofi, the world's biggest supplier of flu vaccines, has tested the new shot in clinical trials involving more than 7,000 adult or elderly participants and said it believed it should improve the standard of care in preventing seasonal flu.
The EU drugs agency also adopted a positive opinion recommending granting marketing authorisation under exceptional circumstances for Baxter's pandemic H5N1 flu vaccine Celvapan.
The Baxter vaccine is one of several intended for use before or during an officially declared flu pandemic, which many experts fear might be triggered by the H5N1 strain of virus now circulating among birds.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Andrew Macdonald) Keywords: SANOFI FLU/ (ben.hirschler@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 5082: Reuters Messaging: ben.hirschler.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
Both products were recommended for approval by experts at the European Medicines Agency in London, whose decisions are normally endorsed by the European Commission within a couple of months.
Sanofi's Intanza or IDflu vaccine is the first intradermal microinjection flu shot and was developed in collaboration Becton Dickinson, a specialist in injection technology.
Intradermal vaccination involves administering antigen into the dermal layer of the skin, which has a high concentration of specialised immune cells.
Sanofi, the world's biggest supplier of flu vaccines, has tested the new shot in clinical trials involving more than 7,000 adult or elderly participants and said it believed it should improve the standard of care in preventing seasonal flu.
The EU drugs agency also adopted a positive opinion recommending granting marketing authorisation under exceptional circumstances for Baxter's pandemic H5N1 flu vaccine Celvapan.
The Baxter vaccine is one of several intended for use before or during an officially declared flu pandemic, which many experts fear might be triggered by the H5N1 strain of virus now circulating among birds.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Andrew Macdonald) Keywords: SANOFI FLU/ (ben.hirschler@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 5082: Reuters Messaging: ben.hirschler.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
© 2008 AFX News
