Dose ranging of adjuvant and antigen in a cell culture H5N1 influenza vaccine: safety and immunogenicity of a phase 1/2 clinical trial.
BACKGROUND
Dose-sparing strategies and new production technologies will be necessary to produce adequate supplies of vaccines for pandemic influenza. One approach is to include adjuvant, which can reduce the amount of antigen required for immunization and stimulate cross-reactive responses to drifted variants of novel viruses. Dose-sparing studies of adjuvant, itself a finite resource, have not previously been reported for H5N1 vaccine development.


RESULTS
A total of 753 healthy 18-40-year-old adults were randomized to one of 12 groups (N approximately 60/group) to receive two intramuscular doses, 21 days apart, of 3.75, 7.5 or 15 microg of cell culture grown influenza A/H5N1 hemagglutinin (A/Indonesia/5/2005 (H5N1)/PR-8-IBCDC-RG2), each dose level formulated with 0%, 25%, 50% or 100% of the MF59 dose contained in licensed influenza vaccine. 752 subjects actually received one dose, and 695 a second dose. Serum hemagglutination inhibition and neutralizing antibody levels, were determined before and 21 days after each dose. Safety and reactogenicity were assessed by self-completed diary cards. Nonadjuvanted H5N1 formulations were poorly immunogenic, but antibody responses were significantly enhanced by all doses of MF59 for each antigen level. The 3.75 microg H5N1 containing 50% MF59 satisfied the European criteria for pandemic vaccine licensure. All formulations were well tolerated, although MF59 dose-dependent increases in the frequency of injection site pain were observed. The frequencies of injection site and systemic reactions were lower after receipt of the second dose of vaccine. No vaccine-related SAE was reported.


CONCLUSIONS
Dose-sparing of both antigen and adjuvant is possible without compromising immunogenicity, while improving reactogenicity and is a promising strategy that will expand the availability of vaccines for global control of pandemic influenza.
Keitel
Wendy
W
Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Groth
Nicola
N
Lattanzi
Maria
M
Praus
Michaela
M
Hilbert
Anne Katrin
AK
Borkowski
Astrid
A
Tsai
Ted F
TF
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000097:blood; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005260:Female; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000276:immunology*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008297:Male; D011136:Polysorbates / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013185:Squalene / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D055815:Young Adult
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; C089950:MF59 oil emulsion; D011136:Polysorbates; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit; C458881:hemagglutinin fusogenic peptide, influenza virus; D013185:Squalene