Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Unit tests real-world use to prepare for H7N9

Research shows that an experimental vaccine to protect people against the deadly H7N9 bird-flu virus works best when mixed with an adjuvant—a substance that boosts human immune response.

People were first reported infected with the avian influenza A H7N9 (bird flu) virus in China in 2013, with hundreds of cases documented since then. Most have probably resulted from exposure to infected poultry, not to other people. But experts are preparing for the potential for the virus to change to facilitate spread from person to person.

As part of that effort, the national Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU) network is reporting that two adjuvants increased the body’s immune responses to two doses of an inactivated influenza A H7N9 virus in a phase 2 trial including nearly 1,000 adults, age 19 to 64. The July 21 Journal of the American Medical Association published it: “Effect of varying doses of a monovalent H7N9 influenza vaccine with and without AS03 and MF59 adjuvants on immune response: A randomized clinical trial.”

Read the full news release in News and Events.