路透社：中国开始甲型H1N1流感疫苗临床试验

  　公司总经理尹卫东表示：“通过本次临床试验我们将确定疫苗的使用剂量，我们希望尽可能节约抗原用量。当然，疫苗的安全性是第一位的，我们必须在疫苗安全的基础上选择最低的抗原使用量。这样我们就可以用尽可能少的抗原来生产尽可能多的疫苗。”

  　截至目前，中国共报告超过2290例感染甲型H1N1流感病例，但尚未出现死亡病例。中国政府正在努力防止疫情在更大范围人群中的扩散。

  　北京科兴说已经获得（北京市）政府的首个疫苗订单，9月份疫苗临床研究完成后将大批量生产。目前，全球有数十家制药企业都在积极研制可大规模生产的疫苗，北京科兴是其中之一。

  　自3月份以来，全球共有160多个国家发生甲型H1N1流感疫情，并造成约800人死亡。世界卫生组织说必须密切关注该病毒以防止其变异成更严重的病毒。

  　【视频链接：http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=108710】

 

 

Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech is using 1,600 volunteers in human trials of its vaccine against the H1N1 flu strain.

They're being given one dose now and another three weeks later to work out the right amount to give.

[Yin Weidong, GM, Sinovac Biotech Ltd]:"Through this trial we can work out the right dosage. We want to use at little antigen as possible.  Of course, safety comes first and low dosages of antigen must be based on safety. Then we can think about using as little of it as possible to produce as many doses as possible."

There have been no deaths in China from the new bug, commonly known as swine flu, but there are more than 2,290 recorded cases.

Chinese authorities are keen to stop it from spreading through the wider population.

Sinovac Biotech says it's already received a government order for five million doses of vaccine.

The firm says it's expecting to start mass production when clinical trials finish in September.

It's among dozens of pharmaceutical companies in the race to develop a mass-produced vaccine.

The swine flu bug has spread to some 160 countries and killed about 800 people since it broke out in March.

The World Health Organization says the virus must be closely watched in case it mutates into something more severe.

Paul Chapman reports.