GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) is the first company to get the go ahead from the European Commission (EC) for a wide spectrum vaccine to protect humans ahead of a possible future bird flu pandemic. The company will market its pre-pandemic vaccine Prepandrix in all 27 member states of the European Union (EU). Although Prepandrix has only just received its first regulatory approval, countries such as the US, Switzerland and Finland have already started stockpiling the vaccine, sales of which last year topped £102 million.

A new survey published in the June 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases shows that drugs commonly prescribed for patients suffering from immunological disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease may carry risks of serious infections. Among these drugs are agents that inhibit tumor necrosis factor-á (TNF), a cytokine receptor involved in cellular communication. Although patients using these immune-modulating therapies are known to susceptible to tuberculosis, the new survey indicates that there is probably greater risk for other serious infections, such as histoplasmosis, nontuberculosis mycobacterial infections and Staphylococcus aureus in these patients.

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