Baxter has successfully produced H5N1 influenza vaccine in African green monkey kidney cells in quantities sufficient for clinical testing, according to an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Patients in the Phase I and II studies responded favourably to the treatment, which could pave the way for increased usage of cell culture-derived vaccines for treating seasonal and avian influenza.

The use of cell culture to produce the vaccine offers considerable advantages over traditional hens' eggs, which could better equip the world to tackle a flu pandemic should it arise.

John Oxford, professor of Virology at Queen Mary School of Medicine, London said: "Cell culture technology could represent the future of influenza vaccine production. Baxter has demonstrated the ability to rapidly make large quantities of the vaccine that may protect people against divergent H5N1 viruses."

[...]

Whether cell culture represents a significant breakthrough in preparations against an avian influenza outbreak remains to be seen. At present there are those that believe that an overarching strategy is needed more urgently than different approaches to the problem.

Link to the full article is below.

J M