FLUSECURE: Combating FLU in a combined action between industry and the
public sector in order to SECURE adequate and fast interventions in
Europe.
Summary
New or
deliberately released viruses are a continuing serious health
threat for which no effective countermeasures are available. The
main problem is that no vaccine can be produced in advance, since
the exact nature of the virus is not known until the outbreak
starts. Of all serious health threats, pandemic influenza is now
felt to be the major one, especially since effective preparedness
planning is lacking. As this is a cross-border problem, it needs a
cross-border solution. This requires that in Europe the industry
and public health authorities collaborate in jointly gaining
control over the infectious disease. As an overall objective this
project aims to enable the manufacturing of the most
effective pandemic vaccine in the shortest possible time in
sufficient quantity for the EU population, by setting up a European
network of public health institutes as the public sector input for
a public-private partnership.
General Objectives
To enable te manufacturing
of the most effective pandemic vaccine in the shortest possible
time in sufficient quantity for the EU population, by setting up a
European network of public health institutes as the public sector
input for a public-private partnership (PPP) on European pandemic
influenza vaccines thereby enhancing vaccine preparedness in the
case of an influenza pandemic.
Specific
Objectives
- Establishment of a process for continuous dialogue with the vaccine manufacturers to ensure that the assets of the public and private sectors are utilised to the best advantage to increase the availability of vaccine to the European citizen.
- Decrease the lead time of vaccine production by establishment of a library of safety-tested reference influenza strains available to Industry.
- Improve the vaccine efficacy of pandemic influenza vaccines in terms of formulation, adjuvants and dosing regimen.
- Quantification of efficacy by establishment of cross protection and advanced correlates of protection.
- Evaluation of pandemic vaccines in use, by providing a strategy to set up a multi centre clinical trial network and post marketing surveillance, which will assist industry in producing efficacy and surveillance data in the event that vaccine is
Duration of the project
54
months: from February 2006 till July 2010
Contibutions
FLUSECURE has been made possible by contributions from the
European Commission (DG SANCO) and the 10 participating member
states.