PhRMA report lists 271 vaccines in development

WASHINGTON — A vaccine to slow the progression of HIV and a monoclonal antibody that protects against influenza are among the nearly 300 vaccines under development by drug makers in the United States, according to a new report by a drug industry trade group.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America released a report Wednesday showing 271 vaccines under development, all in clinical trials or under Food and Drug Administration review. They include 137 for infectious diseases, 99 for cancers, 15 for allergies and 10 for neurological disorders.

"Biopharmaceutical research companies are working with partners across the ecosystem to apply new scientific approaches to the development of both preventative and therapeutic vaccines," PhRMA president John Castellani said. "The nearly 300 vaccines in the pipeline provide great hope for protecting and improving public health in the United States and across the globe."

In other news, PhRMA announced the recipients of the 2013 Research & Hope Awards, which honors achievements in vaccines research and immunizations by individuals and research teams.

The GlaxoSmithKline Malaria Vaccine Team won the award for biopharmaceutical industry research in vaccine development, for the development of a vaccine against malaria targeted to children in sub-Saharan Africa. The academic and public research award went to National Cancer Institute researchers Douglas Lowy and John Schiller for the discovery of the human papillomavirus vaccine. Linda Yu-Sing Fu and her team, at the Children's National Medical Center, won the patient and community health award for efforts to increase awareness of the importance of childhood immunizations and deliver them to an at-risk population in the District of Columbia.

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