Researchers at Macchi Hospital in Varese, Italy have proposed that sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) can prove beneficial in preventing mild persistent asthma and new skin sensitizations in children suffering from allergic rhinitis. The doctors also report that the therapy has the potential to reduce bronchial hyperactivity. Based on the 3-year long study, SLIT was found to be safe for children, when used in the recommended doses.

Recent clinical studies at the Institute of Virology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam
have concluded that GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) H5N1 adjuvanted pre-pandemic influenza vaccine, Prepandrix™, gives broad cross-clade immunity. This immunity is maintained when the second dose is given months after the first dose. Even if the second dose is formulated from a different H5N1 strain, the immunity stays. A pre-pandemic influenza vaccine can be produced in advance and stored and can be readily available when WHO declares a pandemic.

A recent research carried out jointly by scientists from the universities of Bristol and Harvard has shown the way in which immune system can detect and destroy the bacterium, pneumococcus. It paves the way for the development of a novel vaccine for the prevention of diseases like meningitis and pneumonia that are found in both children and adults. Many infections start because of the carriage of this bug in the nose.  The existing vaccines for these diseases are not suitable for use in poorer countries as they are too expensive. Immune cells called TH17 cells have been identified as beneficial in killing this bug.

The U.S. Food Drug and Administration has noted that a careful reading of food labels might not be sufficient to keep the sufferers of food allergy safe. In a public hearing, the agency indicated that a product could unintentionally contain trace amounts of an allergen, such as peanuts. “Advisory warnings confuse the consumers and do not help them in taking the right decision. The FDA wants to construct a long-term strategy to help producers use clearer advisory labels.

Merck’s cervical vaccine Gardasil has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for protection against vaginal and vulvar cancers caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) types 16 and 18 for females aged from 9 to 26. The vaccine is already used for prevention of cervical cancer, approval for which was given by FDA in 2006. Gardasil does not work if you are already infected when you become vaccinated. Women should undergo regular screening to get precancerous lesions detected and receive treatment before cancer.

A recent study has concluded that the Novartis Meningitis B vaccine, in its investigational stage, may be the first to protect infants six months and older against multiple strains of potentially deadly meningococcal B bacteria. Almost all of the infants (six to 12 months old) enrolled in the study gave a positive and fast response to it.. The meningococcal B strains are one of the major causes of bacterial meningitis throughout the world. Novartis MenB vaccine contains multiple bacterial surface proteins (antigens) that are believed to be found in most meningococcal B strains.

Inverness Medical announced the launch of its new 4th generation rapid HIV diagnostic test – Determine HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo – at the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2008) in Mexico City. Capable of detecting HIV infection several days earlier than HIV antibody only tests, Determine HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo can, simultaneously and separately, detect HIV p24 antigen (Ag) and antibodies (Ab) for HIV-1 and HIV-2 in human serum, plasma, or whole blood. The lateral flow test will increase the ability to detect and diagnose primary HIV infection, providing clear visual results. Determine can be performed in remote locations where equipments and laboratory facilities are limited. This gives it an edge over lab-based EIA and ELISA 4th generation HIV testing.

Novavax Inc. declared that its candidate for the vaccine against pandemic influenza virus-like particle (VLP)  has shown favorable results for the second stage of the Phase I/IIa of the human clinical trial. The vaccine candidate, which does not include an adjuvant, induced robust neutralizing antibody titers across all three doses tested. Avian influenza, the disease that the vaccine will prevent, emerged in humans in 2005 in Indonesia. 81% of  the 135 documented human cases have been fatal. The safety report for the trial is pending, but no adverse case has been reported.