Even though there’s not much evidence the Sanofi-Pasteur vaccine for the H5N1 flu will protect most people, the advisory committee recommends the FDA approve its use. In a separate vote, the panel said the vaccine was both safe and effective. A vaccine must meet both standards to win FDA approval.

The votes came after FDA officials said the vaccine still could play an important role in protecting against the increased likelihood of a pandemic, despite its limited effectiveness, the Associated Press reports.

“I am of the view that anything is better than nothing,” says panel member Robert Couch, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

“The benefit of having a licensed vaccine against a potential pandemic influenza virus strain must be weighed against the risk of having no vaccine at the time of an inevitable influenza pandemic,” says Norman Baylor, director of the FDA’s vaccine office.

The federal government plans to buy and stockpile enough vaccine for 20 million people, including emergency and health care workers, but the Sanofi vaccine won’t be sold commercially.

This is nothing to sneeze at.
[tags]Bird Flu, Sanofi-Pasteur[/tags]