ID :
76397
Fri, 08/21/2009 - 16:48
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http://m.oananews.org//node/76397
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WHO: Thailand can proceed with flu vaccine trials
BANGKOK, Aug 21 (TNA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) said Thailand can continue its testing of the vaccine against Influenza type A (H1N1), advising the country to conduct more tests in animals before it begins human vaccine trial.
After a discussion with the WHO on Thailand’s vaccine trial problem, Dr Vichai Chokevivat, chairman of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), which supervises the project, said the WHO confirmed Thailand can continue testing the vaccine against the Influenza type A(H1N1) although the amount of virus cultured and grown in hen eggs imported from Germany provided lower yields than earlier targeted.
WHO said the low yield of the live attenuate virus can be caused by the production process or the condition of the eggs rather than the virus itself.
The World Health Organization advised Thailand to conduct more animal tests despite successful animal tests reported by the Netherlands and Russia, to certify that the vaccine is safe for human testing, said Dr Vichai.
The vaccine trials with humans will begin on September 4 as planned, he said.
The first group of 24 volunteers will be divided by half into two groups. Testing will start with the first group using the vaccine produced from the first lot, which has a low yield of the live attenuated virus.
The second group of volunteers will wait for the results from the new batch of vaccine, which is now under the process of incubating the seed virus strain after the virus was injected in hen eggs. The result of the amount of the live attenuated virus tests will be known on August 28.
Thailand has ordered more hen eggs from the US to produce the new batch of vaccine and plans to build a second vaccine production laboratory in the future, he said. (TNA)
After a discussion with the WHO on Thailand’s vaccine trial problem, Dr Vichai Chokevivat, chairman of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), which supervises the project, said the WHO confirmed Thailand can continue testing the vaccine against the Influenza type A(H1N1) although the amount of virus cultured and grown in hen eggs imported from Germany provided lower yields than earlier targeted.
WHO said the low yield of the live attenuate virus can be caused by the production process or the condition of the eggs rather than the virus itself.
The World Health Organization advised Thailand to conduct more animal tests despite successful animal tests reported by the Netherlands and Russia, to certify that the vaccine is safe for human testing, said Dr Vichai.
The vaccine trials with humans will begin on September 4 as planned, he said.
The first group of 24 volunteers will be divided by half into two groups. Testing will start with the first group using the vaccine produced from the first lot, which has a low yield of the live attenuated virus.
The second group of volunteers will wait for the results from the new batch of vaccine, which is now under the process of incubating the seed virus strain after the virus was injected in hen eggs. The result of the amount of the live attenuated virus tests will be known on August 28.
Thailand has ordered more hen eggs from the US to produce the new batch of vaccine and plans to build a second vaccine production laboratory in the future, he said. (TNA)
