European Flu Vaccine To Be Tested In U.S.

A European-produced flu vaccine widely used in other countries will be tested at four locations in the United States, the government announced. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease is launching the trial in an effort to increase the supply of flu vaccine in this country. The United States is millions of doses short on flu vaccine this year because of manufacturing problems at a major producer of the vaccine. NIAID said Thursday it hopes to enroll 1,000 healthy adults in the new tests by Dec. 23 in Rochester, N.Y., Cincinnati, Baltimore and Houston. While more than 126 million doses of the test vaccine, Fluarix, have been distributed in more than 70 countries worldwide, Fluarix has never been tested or licensed for use in the United States. It is made by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals of Rixensart, Belgium.