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The U.S. Office of Health and Human Services Estimates That, Without Intervention, an Influenza Pandemic Could Cause the Deaths of Almost 2 Million People in the United States and Require the Hospitalization of Up to 10 Million

Posted on: Thursday, 23 March 2006, 12:00 CST

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c34705) has announced the addition of the Decision Resources report "Is There Commercial Opportunity in the Development of a New Influenza Vaccine?" to their offering.

Influenza is a significant health issue. Influenza epidemics occur yearly, and recently, health groups such as the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have raised the possibility of an influenza pandemic. The U.S. Office of Health and Human Services estimates that, without intervention, a pandemic could cause the deaths of almost 2 million people in the United States and require the hospitalization of up to 10 million. Most health officials agree that the best course of action in preventing an epidemic or pandemic is vaccination. Current vaccines are generally considered safe and efficacious, but they are not as efficacious in some high-risk populations, and production capacity is limited.

In this Decision Resources report, the worldwide health burden that influenza represents is examined and H5N1 is discussed, a current influenza strain that could cause the next pandemic. The report compares the advantages and disadvantages of available vaccines and describes technologies that companies are investigating in an effort to improve on existing vaccines. Finally, it discusses the outlook for the influenza vaccine market.

Business Implications

Influenza is a worldwide health problem; epidemics occur yearly. Health organizations have increased their attention to the possibility of an influenza pandemic caused by the avian influenza strain H5N1. Health officials agree that the best course of action to prevent an epidemic or pandemic is widespread vaccination.

Currently available influenza vaccines are considered safe and efficacious. However, they have significant drawbacks, including limited efficacy in some high-risk populations and a reliance on egg-based manufacturing, which both creates supply issues and makes the vaccines unusable to individuals with egg allergies. In addition, the vaccines need to be redesigned each year to match the currently circulating strain, a process that requires significant lead time.

Governments and health organizations continue to look for ways to expand the influenza vaccine supply. One possible answer is cell culture manufacturing, which would overcome many of the capacity issues associated with egg-based manufacturing. Indeed, it is predicted that, once approved, cell culture manufacturing will experience significant uptake, eventually resulting in a shift away from egg-based manufacturing. The use of adjuvants, which allow the existing vaccine supply to be stretched further, is also likely to experience strong uptake.

Although "needle-free" formulations of influenza vaccines will always be popular, the premium pricing that will likely accompany them will limit their adoption, particularly if supply concerns are met by improved manufacturing methods and adjuvant use.

Key topics covered include:

-- The Flu Threat

-- About the Influenza Virus

-- Virus Characteristics

-- Influenza Epidemics and Pandemics

-- H5N1

-- Current Prevention and Treatment of Influenza

-- Inactivated Influenza Vaccines

-- Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccines

-- Novel Approaches to Influenza Vaccine Development

-- Cell Culture Manufacturing

-- Adjuvanted Vaccines

-- New Delivery Systems

-- Universal Vaccine

-- Commercial Opportunities for Influenza Vaccines

-- An Expanding Market

-- Finding Success: Potential of the Novel Approaches

Some of the companies mentioned include:

-- Endo Labs

-- Forest Laboratories

-- Roche

-- GlaxoSmithKline

-- Sanofi-Pasteur

-- Chiron

-- Solvay Pharmaceuticals

-- Berna Biotech

-- ID Biomedical

-- MedImmune

-- Baxter

-- Sanofi-Aventis

-- Crucell

-- Protein Sciences

-- Antigenics

-- DelSite

-- Polymun

-- PowerMed

-- Iomai

-- Acambis

-- Molecular Express

-- Tripep

-- Dyanvax

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c34705

Source: Business Wire

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