Thailand Starts H1N1 Nasal Spray Vaccine Trials Friday

[george]

Thailand starts H1N1 nasal spray vaccine trials Friday

BANGKOK: -- Thailand is due to start its Influenza A(H1N1) nasal spray vaccine trials on the first group of volunteers this Friday, according to Dr Vichai Chokewiwat, chair of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO).

The vaccine trial for humans is ready after the problem of the vaccine’s stability was solved.

The nasal spray H1N1 vaccine trials will begin on 24 volunteers on Friday. The test volunteers will stay at hospital for one week to ensure the vaccine has no side affects such as headache or vomiting.

After that segment, the trials will be extended to cover 400 volunteers before evaluation will be conducted.

Meanwhile, imported Influenza A(H1N1) vaccines from overseas will arrive in Thailand next week and will be kept at the pharmaceutical organisation’s headquarters before being turned over to the public health ministry for injection in high risk groups such as pregnant women and health officials.

-- TNA 2009-12-15

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[Credo]

I thought they were going to have this ready to go last July?

[geriatrickid]

The handling of the vaccine roll out is quite the logistics event.

As of today, Vaccination rates are averaging 35-50% in many western countries which is pretty good, although not the best result. It is good enough to prevent a national epidemic. Parts of canada report 50% which is impressive all things considered. The speed in which the program was implemented has acted to contain the spread of infection. Thailand isn't moving fast enough and seems to have missed its dates. Singapore and Hong Kong have vaccine available now.

Reference is made in respect to imported vaccines. Well, how many doses are there? Where did it come from? Australia or China?

Sorry, but I'd recommend the Australiam product over the Chinese product. Patients have a right to know the source of a vaccine.

I don't even understand the obsession with a nasal vaccine. Nasal flu vaccines are ok if you are aged between 2 and 49, but isn't recommended for older patients. What are these people thinking? As the mass public (A) H1N1 vaccinations wind down over the next few weeks in most western countries, there is going to be a surplus of doses on the market. For example, Canada which anticipated a need for 80 million doses will probably have 20million doses available for January. Australia will have excess as well etc. Why not purchase the excess doses from these countries? I don't get how other regions were able to purchase supplies even in the most difficult of times (e.g. Australia sold 200,000 unatenuated doses to avoid a shortfall in Canada) and yet Thailand hasn't made an effort to obtain the current surplus? The worst part is that the lack of planning means that once the supplies are gone they will really be gone because the production will have switched over to seasonal flu vaccine. For example, in Canada and the USA those vaccinations roll out on a mass basis in January. They are late this year because of the emphasis on the (A) H1N1.

Edited December 16, 2009 by geriatrickid

[Credo]

The situation in Thailand was normal. Early on the government decided they would make their own vaccine. No need to rely on those Western countries and big Pharma. But this virus is a little harder to grow and governments don't generally produce things as well as the private sector does. It was the usual scenario, we are better than you and we can copy well.

It didn't work and it's the people's health that suffers.