Wyeth said on November 19, 2002 that it is going to discontinue the production of FluShield and Pnu-Imune, two injectable vaccines against flu and pneumonia, respectively. Instead, Wyeth is pinning its hope on FluMist, an inhaled live, attenuated flu vaccine it is co-developing with MedImmune (Gaithursburg, Maryland).

A vaccine that can be taken by inhalation would appeal to many due to the obvious ease of administration. In addition, no trained personnel are required for the administration. Collectively, the inhaled vaccine should attract more people to get vaccinated.

Wyeth and MedImmune expect FluMist will be approved in time for next year’s flu season. ... Read more

Virologists have taken a closer look at the molecular details of two epidemic influenza viruses, in the hope of understanding how the viruses gain the capacity to cause severe infections and how should humans be prepared to fight back upon the next flu outbreak.

One group of researchers took the virus involved in the 1997 Hong Kong influenza outbreak (6 dead out of 18 infected) from human isolates and tested them in mice. Using reverse genetics, they found genetic alterations in two genes, PB2 and hemagglutinin, both contributing to the virulence of the virus (Science 293:1840-1842, 2001). Another group analyzed the ... Read more