The National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) has achieved a breakthrough in its development of an enterovirus 71 (EV-71) vaccine that can efficiently generate antibodies in humans, a member of the research team said on Tuesday.
In the first phase of the clinical trials that will be completed by the end of this year, the vaccine produced more than 600 times the normal level of antibodies in adults, said Su Ih-jen (蘇益仁), head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology.
Su said the next phase would be to test the vaccine in various age groups next year to determine how many doses are needed to resist the virus.
Phase III will be carried out at several medical centers in different countries, with the aim of finding out how much protection the vaccine can provide against EV-71 infection, he said.
The EV-71 vaccine will be considered effective if it can generate 80 to 90 percent protection, he said.
Enterovirus 71 is the most virulent strain of enterovirus. It is found in Taiwan, China and several other Asian countries.
Although Taiwan began development of an EV-71 vaccine earlier than China, Chinese researchers completed the Phase I trials before Taiwan, Su said.
The Taiwanese team has applied for seven international certificates and is optimistic about being able to offer the vaccine domestically and internationally, he said.
The NHRI has signed nonexclusive patent license agreements with Adimmune Corp and Medigen Biotechnology Corp and will transfer the technology to the two firms as the first step to entering the international market.
The institute is in partnership discussions with another biotech firm, United Biomedical.
Separately, the institute said it had also made substantial progress in the development of a vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis and would start looking for international partners by the end of this year to promote joint research and development.
As of last month, the Centers for Disease Control had confirmed three cases of severe enterovirus so far this year, all of which were EV-71 infections. One of the cases was fatal.
The nation’s first outbreak of EV-71 in 1998 killed 78 children.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
RSS