Supremes eye vaccine shield law; Vical "ready for prime time";

Vaccine Market

Just how far does the vaccine shield law go? The U.S. Supreme Court wants to know. It's eyeing a Georgia Supreme Court ruling that allowed a liability suit over vaccines made by Wyeth and GlaxoSmithKline. The drugmakers want the Supremes to review that ruling; in their view, the 1986 vaccine shield law should have precluded the suit. But the Georgia high court said the 1986 law, while protecting vaccine makers from frivolous suits, doesn't prevent claims that they should have used a safer vaccine formula. Report

Emergent BioSolutions has won a $30 million payment from the federal government on the FDA's decision to extend the shelf life of its anthrax vaccine from three years to four years. The news boosted Emergent's stock price by 11 percent. Report

The FDA has strengthened its warning on Gardasil after hearing new reports of injuries sustained by patients who faint after getting the jab. Recipients will need to stay seated or lying down and observed for 15 minutes. Story

The World Health Organization is urging that all children be vaccinated against rotavirus, a disease that kills more than half a million children each year. Report

Vaccine Research

Vical has lost money for two decades, but the vaccine developer says it's DNA-based vaccines are now "ready for prime time." Story

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have found how the bacteria responsible for traveler's diarrhea binds to the host's intestines, offering some key insights that will help develop a more effective vaccine for the ailment. Report

The Associated Press and the Washington Post looked at new efforts to create a new malaria vaccine along with mutant mosquitoes which are resistant to malaria. Report

New data from Phase III European clinical trials reinforce that Wyeth's Prevenar 13 has the potential to guard against the 13 most prevalent serotypes associated with pneumococcal disease. Release