April-Vaccines

April 24th – May 1st is National Infant Immunization Week

Most vaccines work by tricking the immune system into thinking that a real infection is taking place, even though it is not. Then when the person is exposed to that illness again, the immune system is already activated and ready to fend it off. Many diseases once considered devastating to the world’s population, such as polio, smallpox, and influenza, are now rare and easily preventable because of vaccines. In addition, researchers are also developing therapeutic vaccines for diseases such as HIV and cancer. These vaccines are for people already living with a particular condition and are intended to strengthen the immune system in an effort to ameliorate symptoms or halt progression.

Recognizing the impact that vaccines have on such a large portion of the population, especially on children, Innovation.org highlights important and groundbreaking research into new vaccines. Click on the links below to read more about vaccine research.

Newsletter: The Impact and Future of Vaccines
A 2008 study conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that cases of vaccine-preventable diseases have reached an all-time low in the U.S. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that for nine of fourteen diseases studied, hospitalizations and deaths fell over 90%. Those nine diseases include diphtheria, measles, poliomyelitis, rubella, congenital rubella syndrome, small pox, mumps, tetanus, and Hib disease. For the remaining four diseases—hepatitis A and B, pneumococcal disease, and varicella—hospitalizations and deaths declined less than 90%, but this is largely attributable to the fact that these vaccines are relatively new. Read the full Newsletter

Saving and Improving Lives
New medicines and vaccines play a significant role in the life expectancy gains made in the U.S. and around the world. Research published in the journal Health Affairs, concludes that new medicines generated 40% of the two-year gain in life expectancy achieved in 52 countries between 1986 and 2000. Read more

Recent Advances in Vaccines
Researchers have made many advances in successfully developing vaccines for diseases that once affected people across the world. Read below for information about recent advances in vaccine research.

Recent FDA Approvals for Vaccines

• Afluria® – seasonal influenza vaccine – approved 7/20/2009
  For the treatment of seasonal influenza.

• Fluarix® – seasonal influenza vaccine – approved 7/20/2009
  For the treatment of seasonal influenza.

• FluLaval® – seasonal influenza vaccine – approved 7/20/2009
  For the treatment of seasonal influenza.

• Fluvirin® – seasonal influenza vaccine – approved 7/20/2009
  For the treatment of seasonal influenza.

• Fluzone® – seasonal influenza vaccine – approved 7/20/2009
  For the treatment of seasonal influenza.

• FluMist® – seasonal influenza vaccine – approved 7/20/2009
  For the treatment of seasonal influenza.

• IXIARO® – encephalitis vaccine approved 3/30/2009
  Vaccine to prevent Japanese encephalitis injection.
• Fluvirin® – influenza virus vaccine – approved 8/1/2008. For immunization of persons 4 years of age and older against influenza virus disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and type B contained in the vaccine.
• FluMist® – influenza virus vaccine, live, intranasal – approved 7/25/2008. For the active immunization of individuals 2-49 years of age against influenza disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and type B contained in the vaccine
• Fluzone® – influenza virus vaccine – approved 7/14/2008. For active immunization in persons 6 months of age and older against influenza disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and type B contained in the vaccine.
• Kinrix™ – Diphtheria and Tetanus toxoids and Acellular Pertussis adsorbed, inactivated poliovirus – approved 6/24/2008. For active immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis as the5th dose in the diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine series and the 4th dose in the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) series in children 4 through 6 years of age whose previous DTaP vaccine doses have been with INFANRIX and/or PEDIARIX for the first 3 doses and INFANRIX for the 4th dose.
• Pentacel® – Diphtheria and Tetanus toxoids and Acellular Pertussis adsorbed, inactivated poliovirus and Haemophilus b Conjugate vaccine – approved 6/20/2008. For active immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, and invasive disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b when administered to infants and children 6 weeks through 4 years of age (prior to 5th birthday).
• Rotarix® – rotavirus vaccine, live – approved 3/19/2008. For the prevention of rotavirus, which can cause gastroenteritis, in infants and children.

Click here for a full list of recent FDA approvals in all disease areas.

Historic Impact of Vaccines

Polio Vaccine
In the early 1950s, summers were filled with fear. Swimming pools, summer camps, and playgrounds lay empty as children were kept at home to keep them safe from a crippling and sometimes deadly disease: polio. Click here to read about how the historic Salk vaccine, introduced in 1954, caused polio lose its grip on the nation.

To see a timeline of historic advances in medicine and pharmaceuticals in the last 100 years, click here.

Innovation in Vaccines – Discoverers Awards
Each year, PhRMA honors pharmaceutical research scientists whose research and development of new medicines have greatly benefited humankind, and whose dedication and interest in improving the quality of life exemplify the best in the research industry with the Discoverers Award.

The Story of Gardasil^®

The 2009 Discoverers Award was awarded to Eliav Barr, Ph.D., Barry Buckland, Ph.D., and Katherin Jansen, Ph.D. for the discovery of Gardasil®, just the second prophylactic cancer vaccine ever and the very first vaccine against cervical cancer. Gardasil was a major breakthrough—in the estimation of many “the top medical advance for 2006. The idea that cancer could not only be caused by a virus, but also be prevented with a vaccine, was once thought novel, controversial and, in some quarters, maybe even ridiculous. Since June 2006, however, over 36 million doses have been distributed globally. Read more about the discoverers amazing journey of discovery.

The Story of Prevnar^®
The 2005 Discoverers Award went to Ronald J. Eby, Ph.D., Dace V. Madore, Ph.D., and Velupillai Puvanesarajah, Ph.D., for the creation of Prevnar^®, a new vaccine for pediatric pneumonia and ear infections worldwide were caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. According to the World Health Organization, one million deaths worldwide in children 5 years and younger were linked to S. pneumoniae infection each year prior to approval of Prevnar in 2000. Since then it has all but wiped out invasive pneumoccal disease in young children, preventing 12,700 cases in the U.S. in 2002 alone. Read about the development of Prevnar and see a video with remarks by the research scientists.