News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – An initial human trial of a West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine has yielded promising results, officials said today.

In the double-blind, randomized trial, all but one of the people who received the vaccine developed antibodies to it, according to an Associated Press (AP) report quoting Dr. Thomas Monath, chief scientist at Acambis, the company that created the vaccine.

(CIDRAP News) – The British biotechnology company Acambis announced yesterday that it has launched the first clinical trial of its vaccine for West Nile virus, called ChimeriVax-West Nile.

The phase 1 trial will involve 60 adult volunteers in Lenexa, Kan., the company said in a news release. The volunteers will receive one of three doses of the West Nile vaccine or a licensed yellow fever vaccine that is being used as a control.