Stanford Report, June 21, 2006

Volunteers needed for flu vaccine study

In an effort to broaden the U.S. supply of influenza vaccine, researchers at the Stanford-Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Vaccine Program are seeking volunteers for a study that will evaluate a flu vaccine manufactured in Australia.

Stanford is one of eight U.S. sites participating in the vaccine trial.

Cornelia Dekker, MD, associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases and director of the Stanford-Packard vaccine program, said the study is important to the development of an adequate supply of vaccine for upcoming flu seasons.

Inactivated influenza virus vaccines have been available in the United States for more than 50 years. However, in 2004, nearly half of the normal supply of seasonal influenza vaccine was unavailable when one of two manufacturers of FDA-licensed flu vaccine had to withdraw its product because of safety concerns.

This event highlighted the need for a greater number of vaccine manufacturers to ensure more secure supplies, Dekker said.

For the study, researchers are recruiting individuals ages 18 to 64 who are in good health, who are not allergic to eggs and who have not experienced severe reactions to a flu vaccine in the past.

Participants will be injected with one of four formulations of a standard dose of flu vaccine or a placebo. Volunteers will make three study-related visits during a period of three to four weeks, and will be reimbursed $30 for each completed visit.

The Australian vaccine is manufactured by CSL Limited, which has been making influenza vaccines for almost 40 years. The study is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

For more information, call the Stanford-LPCH Vaccine Program at 498-7284 or visit the Web site at http://vaccines.stanford.edu.