Why is there an adjuvant included in the Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine that will be used in Canada?
For the purposes of controlling an influenza pandemic and having enough vaccine for the entire world, the World Health Organization has recommended that countries use dose-sparing vaccines whenever possible. By developing an adjuvanted vaccine, we use less of the virus material (antigen), allowing us to immunize more people in a timely manner.Clinical data to date shows that an adjuvanted vaccine can help mount a robust response against pandemic influenza viruses. Experts believe that use of the adjuvant: • will help to induce protection quicker • will give some cross protection from different strains if the virus changes slightly (virus drift) from the strain used to make the vaccine (also known as cross-clade protection) • is generally well tolerated and has an acceptable safety profile in the populations that have been studied (based on use of the same adjuvant in seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccine development and trials in other countries).
Related Questions
- Could standard vaccine development and regulatory processes be used to authorize the H1N1 pandemic vaccine?
- Can standard vaccine development and regulatory processes be used to authorize the H1N1 pandemic vaccine?
- Why is there an adjuvant included in the Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine that will be used in Canada?
