Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.
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November 13, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Next Step in Smallpox Effort: Drug for Vaccine Side Effects" New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (11/12/02) P. F1; McNeil, Jr., Donald G.; Altman, Lawrence K.
A major push is on to produce enough antidote to the smallpox vaccine's side effects so that the federal government can move forward in deciding whether or not to vaccinate millions of Americans against the deadly disease. The vaccine--made from vaccinia, a cousin to the smallpox derived from cows--can produce serious side effects in some people, including temporary fevers and soreness and swelling in the arms, and it can, in some instances, leave a person scarred, blinded, or dead. VIG, or vaccinia immune globulin, is so far the only tested antidote; but until the push this month, there were only between 600 and 700 doses nationwide. Two companies, DynPort and Cangene, are now under contract with the federal government to produce a stockpile of VIG--about 5,000 doses would be enough to cover 40 million vaccinated people, but making enough to protect all 280 million Americans would take at least two years. The numbers of people who might react to the smallpox vaccine can still only be estimated, because past studies were done when there were far fewer numbers of people with compromised immune systems--the individuals who are most likely to have an adverse reaction to the vaccine. VIG was developed in the 1950s but never fully clinically tested; but, studies from the 1960s showed that it could reduce the number of deaths from severe vaccination eczema by two-thirds and stop the spread of new smallpox sores, but it had no effect on vaccinia necrosum, which is deadly to immuno-suppressed persons, or brain inflammation complications. Cangene is under a five-year contract to produce 100,000 doses for the United States civilian population and is seeking about 10,000 volunteers to undergo smallpox inoculation and to then donate plasma, which is used in making VIG. DynPort, meanwhile, still has a good supply of frozen plasma from soldiers who were inoculated years ago, so the company will use that to produce VIG.
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