Single jab that protects against all strains of flu for 10 years could be available on the NHS in just two years
- The results of a trial suggests this jab is more effective than existing vaccines
- Creators claim it will end the scourge of flu globally, turning it into a mild illness
- The FLU-v jab, the work of British company Imutex, is said to fight off all strains
By
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Jo+Willey+For+The+Daily+Mail" rel="nofollow - Jo Willey For The Daily Mail
Published:
00:35, 26 March 2018
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Updated:
13:40, 26 March 2018 A single jab which protects against all strains of flu for up to a decade could be available on the http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/nhs/index.html" rel="nofollow - NHS in just two years. The
results of a UK human trial being announced today suggest the jab is
more effective than existing vaccines which target only a few types of
the virus. Its creators claim it will end the scourge of flu globally, turning it into a mild illness rather than a killer. The
FLU-v jab, which is the work of British company Imutex, is said to
fight off every strain, from the yearly winter virus to virulent strains
such as swine flu and the recent Aussie flu. It is likely to cost
between £20 to £50 per person but will need to be given only every five
to ten year. Current vaccines target proteins on the
virus surface, but regions of these proteins constantly change in a bid
to fool the immune system. This means the virus is always one step ahead of the vaccine, which is why it must be remade each year. The
new jab has been created to target unchanging regions of the virus
proteins by boosting the immune system's T-cells that recognise and
attack foreign invaders. The trial involved 123 participants aged 18
to 60 being infected with the H1N1 swine flu virus and spending eight
days in a room. Eighty per cent were prevented from getting flu after having the jab. The
vaccine was also twice as effective at limiting flu-like symptoms, with
60 per cent of those given the jab developing fewer than two symptoms This suggests that even when people catch the flu virus, the vaccine can reduce the impact of its symptoms. And a less severe infection for the elderly would slash the likelihood of complications and hospitalisations. After
participants received FLU-v, their immune cells were tested against a
range of flu strains. In all instances, the cells recognised and killed
the virus. It is hoped the results give
the vaccine 'breakthrough designation' from the US Food and Drug
Administration – fast-tracking it through the approval process and
paving the way for it to be available on the NHS within two years. The
new study was part of the collaboration with the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the world's largest
medical research establishment, the National Institutes of Health in
Washington, USA. The UK's top flu
expert John Oxford, emeritus professor of virology at Queen Mary
University of London, said: 'I am enthusiastic about universal vaccines
full-stop. It is recognised as being a good way forward. 'If
one should have an effective universal flu vaccine, people could relax
because you could have a dose of it and it would give years of
protection against whichever virus is circulating.' Dr
Ed Schmidt, from the Universal Influenza Vaccine Consortium at
Groningen University, Holland, said the vaccine could be 'a game
changer', adding: 'It would lead a serious reduction in deaths and have a
major impact.' This winter, the annual jab worked in just a quarter of the population in what was called the worst epidemic in seven years. The NHS spends more than £100million annually on its flu vaccination programme alone. A
universal jab could save the NHS around £27,000 per person over the
course of their lifetime from less sickness absences and reduced
pressure. Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5543023/Single-jab-protects-against-strains-flu-10-years.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5543023/Single-jab-protects-against-strains-flu-10-years.html
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