Cash in on the quest for a universal flu vaccine
Flu virus: constantly mutating
For most people, having the flu just means a couple of days in bed.
But for a significant number particularly children, the elderly, and those with other conditions it is a lot more serious.
The average flu season in the US kills around 41,000 people, experts reckon. And in a bad year, things can get much worse. During the last big UK epidemic in 1999-2000, so many staff got sick, that hospitals had to cancel vital operations.
While a vaccine has been widely available since the 1940s, it has to be taken every year, and provides only partial protection in any case.
The good news is that both biotech and pharmaceutical companies are working hard to find a better version. And that spells opportunity for adventurous investors.
The flu jab works on a similar principle to most vaccines. A harmless version of the flu virus is grown in an egg; its then introduced into the patients body (usually via an injection). This stimulates the body to produce antibodies, which will then hopefully recognise and destroy any future infection.
The trouble is, there are many different variants of the flu virus, and new ones appear each year. Meanwhile, the number of antibodies the body produces drops in half within about six months of each jab. Thats why people have to be re-vaccinated each year.
To make matters worse, the vaccine takes time to produce. This means that the companies that make it have to decide on which strains to guard against long before flu season peaks in the winter. The World Health Organisation gives them the best advice it can, but mismatches still occur. That means that in some cases, that years flu jab might provide only partial protection, or even none at all.
Even when the viruses are well matched to the vaccine, protection is not complete. A recent study suggested that in a good year, the vaccine reduces the number of cases in healthy adults by about two-thirds. The benefit for the elderly is much smaller.
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Cash in on the quest for a universal flu vaccine