NurseWeek

Government grants spur private industry flu research

By Noel Holton
Health24News
October 3, 2000


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Washington (H24N). In preparation for the "next pandemic," that of a major influenza outbreak, the government has awarded research grants to seven biopharmaceutical companies to come up with vaccines to control its spread, and drugs to treat it.

The grants are being awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease as part of a program that matches funds to private companies who commit resources toward developing new weapons against tuberculosis, malaria, dengue virus, West Nile virus and influenza. The Challenge Grants program, created by Congress, has awarded $109 million so far to the seven companies.

Vaccines are currently being developed using chicken eggs. During a pandemic, the number of these eggs may be seriously diminished, therefore, alternatives must be discovered to protect the world’s population, say researchers.

"The next pandemic has the potential to cause enormous casualties and social disruption," said C. Boyd Clarke, president of drug development company Aviron. "Aviron is pleased to have been selected by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to use our existing technology in a way that could help prepare us for the next pandemic."

When a strain of an influenza virus changes too much, humans begin to lose their natural immunity to it. This can lead to a pandemic. The most deadly pandemic in the 20^th century occurred in 1918. Known as the "Spanish Flu", more than 20 million people around the world were killed by that pandemic.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the next influenza pandemic could affect approximately 200 million people in the United States alone, and result in about 300,000 deaths.

Aviron, headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., will receive a $2.7 million grant over the next three years to develop a vaccine candidate that uses the nasal delivery method of their FluMist product. Aviron believes the nasal delivery method could be useful for vaccinating large groups of people quickly, particularly children, who many believe are the primary carriers of the flu.

Columbia, Md., biopharmaceutical company Novavax has received $850,000 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to find a flu vaccine that isn’t dependent on chicken eggs.

"This grant reflects the creativity and scientific expertise of Novavax’s research team, not to mention the unique methods we employ in creating novel approaches to combating viruses such as influenza," said Novavax president John Spears.