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Bird flu vaccine 'encouraging'
17/02/2006 12:31 - (SA)
Sydney - An Australian drug company trying to develop a vaccine against bird flu said on Friday that early results from clinical trials were encouraging.
CSL Ltd, based in the southern city of Melbourne, said it was confident the prototype for an H5N1 vaccine was safe and effective.
CSL began testing the vaccine on 400 human volunteers in October. It now plans to extend the trial to determine optimal doses and to test a broader range of age groups including infants and the elderly.
The H5N1 strain has killed 91 people in Turkey and in Asia since 2003, with most victims infected directly by sick birds, according to the World Health Organisation. Scientists fear, however, that the virus could mutate to a form more easily passed between humans and spark a human flu pandemic.
There is currently no human vaccine for bird flu but some scientists believe an antiviral drug, Tamiflu, may help humans resist the disease.
CSL's chief scientific officer, Dr Andrew Cuthbertson, said on Friday the company hoped to present its research to Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration for approval by the end of the year.
He said CSL could start making a vaccine within six weeks and has the capability to start stockpiling if required.
- AP
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