GSK’s new drug Prepandrix is the first ‘pre-pandemic’ vaccine against ‘bird flu’.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today (19 May) announced that its H5N1 ‘bird flu’ vaccine has been approved by the European Commission (EC) today.

The ‘pre-pandemic’ drug, Prepandrix, is the first vaccine for use before an outbreak of the disease, and has been developed to avert a widespread outbreak amongst humans.

Whilst the H5N1 virus is mainly a danger to birds, it has killed 241 people since 2003, and it is feared it could one day mutate into a strain that can spread person to person.

According to GSK, using pandemic vaccines is flawed as they can take up to six months to manufacture after the onset of disease, which is “likely to be too late for many of the victims of the first pandemic wave”. With pre-pandemic H5N1, populations can be treated at the immediate sign of an infection.

The new vaccine is formulated with a novel proprietary adjuvant system, designed to achieve a high immune response at a low dose of antigen which is long-lasting and active against a broad range of H5N1 strains, GSK said.

The US and a number of European countries, including Switzerland and Finland, have already signed agreements to purchase the drug, whilst GSK has donated 50 million doses to the World Health Organisation to help the world’s more vulnerable countries.

Jean-Pierre Garnier, GSK’s CEO, commented: “This vaccine marks a significant step in the world’s ability to cope with an influenza pandemic. It is testament to GSK scientists who have pioneered the approach to pre-pandemic vaccination, demonstrating our commitment to doing everything we can to help prevent the devastating effects of a pandemic and play our part in averting this potential public health crisis.”

By Natasha Piscitelli