TAIPEI: An influenza vaccine produced by a Taiwan company to fight the A (H1N1) virus is expected to undergo human clinical trials in two weeks, the manufacturer said yesterday.

Kao Sheng-kai, spokesman for Adimmune Corp, Taiwan's only human vaccine manufacturer, said vaccine production has entered the filling stage, which means the dose of the vaccine has largely been established.

The vaccine will undergo some testing in the coming two weeks. After that clinical trial, participants will be given the first shots, Kao said.

The company is recruiting 250 adults and 150 children to take part in the trials, which will be conducted at the National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital, the Tri-Service General Hospital and the Taipei Medical University-Wan Fang Hospital.

According to Huang Li-min, a professor of pediatrics at NTU, who is hosting the trials, all the openings for adults have been filled and only a small number of openings for children are still available.

Participants will be divided into two groups, with one provided two shots and the other given one shot, in order to measure the respective concentrations of antibodies produced, Huang explained.

If the concentration of antibodies produced from one shot can provide sufficient protection, it is likely that only one shot will be needed for inoculation, he said.

The immunization against the new flu strain is expected to begin in late October in Taiwan, with healthcare workers, pregnant women, and children between six months and six years of age to become the priority recipients.

In addition to the 10 million doses of vaccine to be supplied by Adimmune, the Department of Health has purchased another 5 million doses of flu vaccine from the Swiss-based pharmaceutical firm Novartis.

The Central Epidemics Command Center reported yesterday that four more people in Taiwan have been hospitalized after being confirmed as having A (H1N1) influenza, bringing the total number of hospitalized cases since the outbreak began to 149.

So far, eight of those hospitalized have died, while 99 have recovered, the center said.

According to the center, the near doubling of hospitalized cases over the past week indicates that the outbreak is growing, a trend driven by the start of the new school year.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 09/09/2009 page2)