H1N1 Vaccine With Adjuvant Gets Good Ratings

A study comparing the top two H1N1 vaccines has just wrapped up and the results show that GlaxoSmithKline’s version has better resistance qualities. However, the GSK version is adjuvanted, which has sparked some controversy in the United States and Europe.

GSK’s Pandemrix contains the adjuvant AS03. Adjuvants are used to boost a body’s response to a vaccine but are more likely to cause side effects. Researchers for the study report the side effects are worth the stronger resistance the vaccine provides. More fevers and redness at the injection site were the most common side effects reported.

Researchers from the Health Protection Agency and St. George’s Universities collaborated for the study funded by the National Institute of Health Research. The study involved 900 children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years. Children under 3 who were given two shots of the Pandemrix vaccination had a 98.2 percent immune response compared to the 80.1 percent who were given the adjuvant free Celvapan manufactured by Baxter.  Children under 3 are at a higher risk of suffering severe complications from the H1N1 virus and seasonal flu. Children over 3 did not show any significant difference in immunity between the two vaccines. The Pandemrix had an average of 99.1 percent and the Celvapan had 95.9 percent immune response.

Scientists state that a higher immune response rate means the vaccine will most likely provide longer protection. The vaccine is more likely to protect against mutating strains as well. The study has been published in the British Medical Journal.