Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) announced that the enrollment of over 3,500 subjects in Mexico has been completed in Stage B of its pivotal 2009 H1N1 virus-like-particle (VLP) pandemic influenza vaccine study. With the 1,000 subjects already enrolled in Stage A of the trial, the enrollment in this pivotal trial is now complete with over 4,500 subjects.

Social interaction between neighbours, work colleagues and other communities and social groups makes voluntary vaccination programs for epidemics such as Swine Flu, SARS or Bird Flu a surprisingly effective method of disease control.

New research published today, Thursday 11 February, in New Journal of Physics (co-owned by the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society), shows that contact with others can positively influence individuals to choose voluntary vaccination when considering the pros and cons.

The New York Times examines the WHO's role as a "clearinghouse" for getting the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine to lower income nations. Though H1N1 has died down in North America and many wealthier nations "are trying to get rid of their [vaccine] surpluses," the virus continues to circulate in regions of North Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, according to the newspaper.

Swiss pharmaceutical group Novartis posted on Tuesday an 8.0-percent jump in core annual net profit for 2009, saying that business had been boosted by sales of swine flu vaccine.

The Basel-based company also announced that Daniel Vasella would hand over the chief executive's post to Joe Jimenez, the head of the pharmaceuticals division, a job Vasella had combined with the chairmanship for 11 years.

Vasella, reporting core net profit for last year of 10.3 billion dollars (7.3 billion euros), said: "Novartis delivered an excellent performance in 2009 driven by strong underlying growth across our entire healthcare portfolio."

The Swiss giant's swine flu vaccine, launched alongside rival vaccine makers last year in response to the pandemic alert and state-led mass vaccination campaigns, helped overall net sales grow by seven percent to 44.3 billion, the company said.

"Vaccines and Diagnostics achieved exceptionally high sales by rapidly developing and delivering influenza A (H1N1) pandemic vaccines to address the public health threat," the company said.

Novartis said it expected to "maintain momentum" in 2010 with a strong array of newly launched drugs, and helped on by the 40-billion-dollar acquisition of dominant eye care group Alcon from Nestle this month.

"Over the past 12 months, we sustained our lead in approvals for new products, achieving more than 30 major new product approvals in the US, Europe and Japan," Vasella said.

AVIR Green Hills Biotechnology, the innovative biotech company based in Vienna, has started the New Year by embarking on the first clinical phase II study for the seasonal vaccine deltaFLU. The study will be carried out at the Medical University of Vienna. With this step, AVIR Green Hills has set yet another important milestone in the development of effective and modern influenza vaccines.

As the number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in some regions of the world continues to fall, developing countries scheduled to receive donated H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines from the WHO are reassessing just how many vaccines their countries need, the Canadian Press reports. "The WHO had hoped to provide vaccine for up to 10 percent of the populations of developing countries that wanted donated vaccine," the newspaper writes.

Scientists in Vienna have developed a new technique for producing vaccines for H1N1, 'swine flu', based on insect cells. The research, published in the Biotechnology Journal, reveals how influenza vaccines can be produced faster than through the traditional method of egg-based production, revealing a new strategy for the fight against influenza pandemics.

"Flu vaccine shortages in developing nations may destabilize global security should the H1N1 [swine flu] virus become more deadly … David Heymann, a former deputy head of the World Health Organization" said Monday, Bloomberg reports. Heyman acknowledged the H5N1 (bird flu) virus helped to bolster the preparedness of developed nations for H1N1, but said there remain gaps in the ability to guarantee developing countries have access to vaccines.