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FDA Approves New Type Of Flu Shot - http://t.co/T7yRf0BP From Yahoo! News: TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW)-- The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new flu vaccine for adults that is not egg-based, although it hasn't yet been tested on people with egg allergies. The manufacturing process for the vaccine, called Flucelvax, is similar to the egg-based production method, but the virus strains included in the new vaccine are "grown in animal cells of mammalian origin instead of in eggs," the FDA says. "The cell-based vaccine is as safe and effective as traditional egg-based vaccine and the technology used to manufacture it is more flexible and reliable than the traditional technology," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a statement Tuesday. It is, however, only approved for adults 18 and older, according to the FDA. The vaccine will not only add to the number of ways to prevent getting the seasonal flu, but provide a weapon should a new flu pandemic emerge. Even though Flucelvax is the first cell-based flu vaccine approved in the United States, it's been around for five years already. The European Medicines Agency approved the same vaccine, called Optaflu, in 2007. It's also not the first-ever cell-based vaccine approved in the United States, according to the FDA; polio, smallpox, hepatitis A, rotavirus, rubella, and chickenpox vaccines are produced using cell lines. The benefit of using the cell-based production method is that is vaccines can be produced much more quickly, within weeks, according to the manufacturer Novartis. Traditional flu vaccine production takes months using specialized eggs. Having a faster way to manufacture the flu vaccine is especially important when a brand new virus appears that can quickly develop into a pandemic, as seen in 2009 when the H1N1 influenza virus emerged. That H1N1 pandemic made it even more urgent for health officials to have access to a more quickly produced flu vaccine. Having access to this technology is a big enough deal that the U.S. government has entered into a public/private partnership with the manufacturer, says Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. In 2009, a division of HHS joined forces with Novartis to build a state-of-the-art vaccine production facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, so this cell-based flu vaccine can eventually be manufactured in the United States. That facility is expected to become operational next year. This is one of three partnerships HHS has established to build facilities that "will use modern cell- and recombinant-based vaccine technologies that have the potential to produce vaccines for not only pandemic influenza but also other threats more quickly and in a more affordable way," according to an HHS statement earlier this year. While Flucelvax is not produced in eggs, it doesn't automatically mean that it's suited for people with egg allergies; it hasn't been studied in this group of people. According to FDA spokeswoman Rita Chappelle, the influenza virus reference strains that are adapted for use in manufacturing Flucelvax are obtained from the WHO Collaborating Center, which are grown in eggs. Therefore, she says, "Flucelvax may not be described as completely egg-free." Link - Trackbacks

How tobacco could save our lives http://t.co/RdfDXEpY Tobacco is not commonly associated with good health, but the plant could one day help prevent pandemic flu. Canadian biopharmaceutical company Medicag Link - Trackbacks

New groundbreaking vaccine method could prevent pandemics http://t.co/Er23gMqy A newly devised method for creating vaccines has been given the go-ahead by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and researchers say it could usher in a new era of vaccines. Link - Trackbacks

health Truth comes out: 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic 'deaths' of children were actually caused by MRSA #health health Truth comes out: 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic 'deaths' of children were actually caused by MRSA #health Link - Trackbacks

Sorry for the bad link check out http://t.co/F4EdgSy0 Some of the most demanding customers are Emergency Responders. Of these, Search & Rescue teams and EMT’s are particularly hard on their equipment. When we had the opportunity to create an entirely new type of power source for two local Rescue Squads, we hit the drawing board. Link - Trackbacks

Pandemic Prevention: Swine Flu and Other Emerging Infectious Diseases http://t.co/JeKuFkI3 Zoonotic disease is a problem in animal agriculture. This fascinating free webinar explores the risks of outbreaks and potential for pandemic. Link - Trackbacks

Preventing a Flu Pandemic with Just a Single Dose A Potential Safeguard Against a Mutating Menace http://t.co/LGmCMAd0 Researchers found that a single dose of a vaccine being developed by Medicago, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, could protect against not only the avian influenza (H5N1) strain it was designed for, but also another H5N1 strain and a strain of a different flu subtype, called H2N2. Link - Trackbacks

New Flu Shot Cracks Egg Problem http://t.co/t8swtjoR The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new seasonal flu vaccine made using animal cells instead of chicken eggs, a move experts say will cut vaccine production times in the event of an outbreak. The vaccine, called Flucelvax and made by Novartis, is approved for flu prevention in people 18 and older. The drug manufacturing process is similar to the half-century-old method of growing the vaccine in an egg.  But it’s faster — meaning Flucelvax production could be quickly ramped up in response to a pandemic. “This cell-based technology removes hens and roosters and eggs from the vaccine… Link - Trackbacks

FDA Approves New Type of Flu Vaccine For Faster Response to Flu Pandemic http://t.co/WZiUQdaH FDA Approves New Type of Flu Vaccine For Faster Response to Flu Pandemic http://t.co/WZiUQdaH Link - Trackbacks

FDA Approves New Type of Flu Vaccine For Faster Response to Flu Pandemic http://t.co/WZiUQdaH FDA Approves New Type of Flu Vaccine For Faster Response to Flu Pandemic http://t.co/WZiUQdaH Link - Trackbacks

#Health: Novartis fast production, cell-culture flu vaccine OK'd by FDA - FiercePharma http://t.co/Z9yIThzr The FDA today gave Novartis ($NVS) the go-ahead for a seasonal flu vaccine that is made from animal cell culture instead of chicken eggs, a process that can turn out vaccine pronto in the event of a pandemic Link - Trackbacks

FDA Approves First-Of-A-Kind Seasonal Flu Vaccine http://t.co/eXBBFMcA WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration says it has approved the first seasonal flu vaccine made using animal cell technology, rather than the half-century egg method. The FDA approved Novartis' Flucelvax to prevent influenza in people 18 years and older. Link - Trackbacks

FDA Panel Gives Nod to Bird Flu Vaccine http://t.co/JAwx6i87 An FDA advisory panel has voted in favor of a vaccine against the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu that would be stockpiled and used in case of pandemic. By twin votes of 14-0, the panel agreed that t Link - Trackbacks

Preventing a Flu Pandemic with Just a Single Dose: A Potential Safeguard Against a Mutating Menace http://t.co/6drsuz1r Researchers found that a single dose of a vaccine being developed by Medicago, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, could protect against not only the avian influenza (H5N1) strain it was designed for, but also another H5N1 strain and a strain of a different flu subtype, called H2N2. Link - Trackbacks

Single vaccine dose may prevent a flu pandemic: research - Outcome Magazine http://t.co/zOfbY7aG Researchers found that a single dose of a vaccine could protect against not only the avian influenza (H5N1) strain, but also another H5N1 strain and a strain of a different flu subtype, called H2N2. Link - Trackbacks

Do Popular People Get Flu First? via @ABC http://t.co/mxEsqebU Harvard University researchers found that more socially central students at the university got the H1N1 flu a full two weeks ahead of other students. These students might serve as a gauge for prediciting the spread of disease. The use of social network sensors may offer a new way to monitor flu epidemics with longer lead times than current methods. Link - Trackbacks

Flu jabs are a 'waste of taxpayer's money', claim scientists who the benefits have been over-hyped http://t.co/smygOHWj A report from the the University of Minnesota says not only are members of the public being misled, but the development of new vaccines is being hindered. , A report from the the University of Minnesota says not only are members of the public being misled, but the development of new vaccines is being hindered. Link - Trackbacks

Dead Inside: Do Not Enter 19.95 Chronicle Books http://t.co/ivbGMQpy via @chroniclebooks Post Secret meets World War Z in this chilling vision of the fallout following a global zombie pandemic. A gradual mutation of a virulent strain of “super flu” gives rise to millions of the undead, who quickly overwhelm treatment facilit Link - Trackbacks

FDA Approves First-Of-A-Kind Flu Vaccine | News | http://t.co/SNlEAgcG http://t.co/GgdVvPJP The Food and Drug Administration says it has approved the first seasonal flu vaccine made using animal cell technology, rather than the half-century egg method. The new method has been promoted by U.S. health officials because it is faster than egg-based production and could speed up manufacturing in the event of a pandemic. Link - Trackbacks

[Seattle PI] FDA approves first-of-a-kind seasonal flu vaccine http://t.co/9aq2boFN WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration says it has approved the first seasonal flu vaccine made using animal cell technology, rather than the half-century egg method. The new method has been promoted by U.S. health officials because it is faster than egg-based production and could speed up manufacturing in the event of a pandemic. Link - Trackbacks