The impact of influenza can only be reduced through a vaccine.  Today, the U.S. has only approved the use of inactivated influenza virus vaccines, and to be effective, these have to contain an H1N1, and H3N2, and a B virus component.  In the past, at least one of these components had to be modified due to antigenic drift of the strain circulating the human population.

Vaccines are prepared by growing viral strains in embryonated eggs, and then the virus is purified and turned noninfectious through chemical inactivation.  The influenza vaccines available today are effective depending on the antigenic ‘match’ of the circulating viruses with the strains used for vaccination, the person’s age, and his or her immune status.

Here’s what is expected in the future; ask your pharmaceutical consultant for further details:

1.    Cold-adapted influenza virus vaccine
This type of live vaccine has been used successfully in Russia to protect millions of children.  The U.S. has been trying to develop such a vaccine for over 20 years, but the license has not been approved yet.

There are several important advantages here:

-    Live-virus vaccines can be administered through nasal spray, which is easier and less costly than the intramuscular option.

-    These can induce local neutralizing immunity and cell mediated immune responses, which could result in a longer-lasting and better cross-protective immunity.

-    Overall protection may improve for certain age groups, for example, kids 6 months to 9 years of age, with evidence of a massive reduction in secondary bacterial infections causing otitis media.

The more live influenza virus vaccines are used, the more benefits, risks, and economic consequences of this approach will be known.

2.    Genetically engineered live influenza virus vaccines
The introduction of techniques to engineer site-specific changes in the genomes of negative-strand RNA viruses has allowed the consideration of new vaccine approaches.  It is possible now to create strains with unique properties that lead to reduction.

3.    Live influenza virus vaccine candidates expressing altered NS1 genes
Now it is possible to rescue influenza virus vaccine candidates from cells transfected with plasmids.  This allows for the engineering of deletions in genomes of influenza viruses for better stability.

4.    Use of replication-defective influenza viruses as vaccine candidates
This is a promising approach, the construction of virus particles that undergo only a single cycle of replication.  These induce a protective antibody response and stimulate a strong cell-mediated immune response without allowing the replication of infectious virus.

5.    DNA vaccination
This involves the administration of plasmid DNA encoding one or more of the influenza virus proteins.  Studies have been limited to animal samples with very promising results; however, this type of vaccine may be better for diseases like AIDS.  Further studies may present a universal approach to generating protective humoral and cell-mediated responses to different foreign antigens, resulting in the development of effective vaccines.

6.    New adjuvant approaches
Current influenza virus vaccines are administered by intramuscular injection.  To improve their immunogenicity, liposome-like preparations have been developed, which contain cholesterol and viral particles that are very effective in mice when delivered subcutaneously or in intranasal form.  More tests are needed to confirm how it will work in humans.

7.    Universal vaccine
This has been the focus of increased attention due to the current necessity to develop a new vaccine every year given the influenza virus’ continuous antigenic change.  Even though some virus components are more conserved than others, a good approach to a universal vaccine based on these conserved elements is still pending, because these are minor antigens, and thus, are less immunogenic and less likely to create a protective response.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.smartconsultinggroup.com as the original source).

From 2008 until 2023 there will be an improvement in vaccines, and their sale and use will experience a rebirth.  Vaccines will be one of the fastest growing areas of the pharmaceutical industry, and their profits will increase by the hundreds in percentage terms during this period.

The Global Vaccines Market, 2008-2023, is a report that describes the market trends in a qualitative and quantitative manner.  Vaccines have grown in importance in developed as well as developing countries because of the current epidemic patterns and healthcare needs.

The most important reason for the growth of vaccines is that they are extremely cost effective in fighting disease, thus, governments and private health providers will increasingly encourage their use.

There is increased awareness now in terms of  the benefits of preventive medicine relative to  the better quality of life and reduction of healthcare costs for consumers, and the vaccine industry is answering the call with new products, and making full use of the technological advances in biotechnology.  There is a lot of potential in this area, as much for therapeutics innovation as commercial return..  Currently, there are more than 1000 vaccine candidates in research and development around the world.

Therapeutic vaccines are different from the vaccines currently on the market.  These not only prevent infection, but work with the body’s immune system to fight disease and disorders, including cancer, addiction, and allergies.

The Global Vaccines Market report focuses on these aspects within the field of vaccines:

-    Sales projections for vaccines by disease area, brand and country, including new therapeutic vaccines

-    Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in regards to the vaccine industry

-    Expert opinion from key leaders in the field

-    In-depth analysis of the vaccine pipeline

-    Analysis of the prospects for therapeutic vaccines

-    Geographical division of the vaccine market, including the leading emerging markets of China and India

-    Coverage of future trends in vaccine technology, formulation, and manufacturing

-    Identification of crucial industrial players in the vaccines market

This report gives a comprehensive analysis of the vaccines market using only primary and secondary research, and it includes full transcripts of interviews, company reports, filings, and industry databases.

This report, along with pharmaceutical consultancy, could mean the difference for the success of your business in the years to come.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.smartconsultinggroup.com as the original source).

Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email: