One dose H1N1 vaccine - No need for adjuvants

So an Australian study has demonstrated that with the new crop of H1N1 vaccines, a singlae dose is all that's required. No adjuvants are required. This data confirms what the China vaccine had earlier showed.

The importance in these findings is that firstly, it means the amount of vaccines available can reach twice as many people; and secondly, more importantly, we do not need to use any fancy adjuvants.

One of the major concerns of vaccine technology is the need for adjuvants. Adjuvants are often used to heighten the body's antibody response. This is often needed as the antigen is used in low quantity or does not by itself elicit a strong immune response. The problem with adjuvants is that the hyper-stimulation of the body's immune response (theoretically at least) may induce an unwanted immune response to the body's own proteins. The Guillain - Barre syndrome emerged as one of the problems associated with the US mass vaccination in 1976-77.

Of recent concern has been the use of squalene in commercial adjuvants such as the AS03 (GSK) and MF59 (Novartis). These adjuvants have not been approved for use in the US.

The one dose vaccines (sans adjuvants) should ameliorate these concerns.