Preflucel®: a Vero-cell culture-derived trivalent influenza vaccine.
Vaccination is the principal means to reduce the impact of influenza infection. Effective vaccination programs require a reliable and safe production system. Traditionally, influenza vaccines are produced in embryonated chicken eggs. Over the last two decades, new cell culture-derived vaccines have been licensed and manufactured, and other vaccines are still in various phases of development. Vero cells have been used for the development of a wide variety of vaccines including influenza vaccines. Pandemic and avian influenza vaccines derived from Vero cells have been shown to be well tolerated and immunogenic in animal and Phase I-II clinical studies. A Phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a trivalent influenza vaccine produced in Vero-cell culture was conducted in 7250 adults aged 18-49 years. Overall protective efficacy for antigenically matched influenza vaccine was 78.5%. The vaccine was well tolerated with no treatment-related serious adverse events and compared favorably with egg-derived vaccines from previous trials. Vero-cell-derived influenza vaccines have the potential to be an important parts of the influenza vaccine strategy, especially if an avian-derived strain becomes predominant or the demand outstrips the capacity of egg-based production systems.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074, Singapore.
Candice Yuen-Yue
CY
Chan
Paul Anantharajah
PA
Tambyah
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D006801:Humans; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014611:Vaccination / Q000009:adverse effects; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology; D014709:Vero Cells
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic