The impetus for this surge in vaccine development is two-fold: to reduce the global impact of seasonal influenza, which results in an estimated three to five million severe illnesses and 25,000-50,000 deaths annually, and to dramatically improve emergency preparedness for the unpredictable nature and sometimes tsunami-like strength of pandemic influenza strains......
Eighty-five candidates are in various stages of preclinical or clinical development (see Figure 1, below). Ten of the vaccine candidates are considered universal vaccine candidates and are designed to protect more people against a broader range of influenza viruses for a longer period of time. More than half of those in all stages of development employ innovative strategies not yet available in any licensed seasonal or pandemic influenza vaccine. And at least 60 of the 85 candidates are in various stages of clinical development—about double the number of AIDS vaccine candidates in clinical testing.
Most of the candidates (72%) are in early stages of clinical development, so odds are many will fail. Still, vaccine manufacturers find the upsurge in research exciting.
Figure I. The Flu Vaccine Pipeline
This is very good news. The worst flu pandemic on record is estimated to have killed at least 50 million people and pandemics occur every decade or so when a new variety evolves which both is easily communicable and causes serious illness. Even the regular annual flu causes something on the order of 350,000 deaths per decade, decade after decade.
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