The U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday that it has approved four new vaccines against the H1N1 virus known as "swine flu." The vaccines, which were produced by Sanofi Pasteur, Norvartis, CSL Limited and MedImmune, produced an immunogenic response within eight to ten days after injection of a single dose, the FDA said.
The agency expects to begin distributing the vaccines across the United States in approximately a month, according to the statement, which cautioned that the vaccines are only intended for healthy adults ages 18 to 64.
Last month the Israeli biotech firm BiondVax, based in the Weizmann Science Park in Rehovot, announced that it has produced a universal flu vaccine that it expects will also protect one from the H1N1 swine flu. However, human trials have not yet been conducted. According to the company, one injection can remain effective for three to five years.
Findings from a trial of the U.S. vaccines among children are expected to be released next week. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) also recently began testing the vaccine among pregnant women, according to the report.
There were no adverse effects reported from the agency's trials of the vaccine among 2,800 healthy adults. Findings of tests performed by CSL and Norvartis were published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine and yielded similar results.
American officials said vaccinations were scheduled to begin in mid-October, with those who received the immunizations expected to be considered immune to the swine flu by the end of the month.