A U.S. advisory panel of Food and Drug Administration has supported the bird flu vaccine data from Sanofi-Aventis pharmaceutical company.
Data for Sanofi-Aventis’ experimental bird flu vaccine support its safety and effectiveness for use in the event of a widespread outbreak.
The panel of health advisors, convened to weigh the risks and benefits of the “prepandemic” vaccine made by Sanofi Pasteur, voted to call the vaccine safe and effective. The panel of 14 voting members unanimously supported the vaccine’s effectiveness given the company’s limited data, although several said it was unclear how well it would work when widely used to protect people from the illness.
The FDA is not bound by the advisory panel recommendations but usually follows them. If the Food and Drug Administration approves the product, it would be the first U.S. approved vaccine for the H5N1 influenza virus.