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Published October 24, 2004
Lansing-based firm working on shigella
vaccine
BioPort division in Maryland says
sales years away
By Stefanie Murray
Lansing State Journal
The seriousness of the recent shigella outbreak was no surprise to
Lansing's BioPort Corp., which has been working on a vaccine for the
bacteria for several years.
BioPort's Maryland-based research and development subsidiary, Antex
Biologics Inc., completed the first phase of clinical testing of an oral
shigella vaccine last year, said Antex President Dr. W. James Jackson.
Shigella is a germ that causes shigellosis, a gastrointestinal illness
whose symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting.
Antex soon will begin manufacturing the vaccine for further testing,
but federal approval is years away. Other companies also are working on a
vaccine.
Even when a vaccine is complete, officials are unsure how important it
will become here.
"One of the things that is clear is that shigella is not a prominent
illness in this country," said BioPort spokeswoman Kim Brennen Root. "The
vaccine that we are working on primarily has a market in the third world
or underdeveloped countries."
Shigella is one of the leading causes of early childhood death in the
developing world, Jackson said.
Worldwide, there are about 165 million cases of shigellosis a year and
1.1 million deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
In the United States, the vaccine would be marketed to the military and
global travelers.
About 18,000 cases of shigella infection are reported annually,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 69 percent of all shigellosis cases involve children younger than
5.
"There very well could be a pediatric market (in the United States) for
such a vaccine," Jackson said.
But health officials say discussions about who might need the vaccine
are years away.
"The question would be: Are they going to suggest it be given to
everyone or just certain populations?" said Dr. Gary Kirk, division
director of immunization with the Michigan Department of Community Health.
"It really is too premature to know right now."
Kirk said immunization recommendations would likely come from the CDC
and World Health Organization when - and if - a shigella vaccine is
approved.
Contact Stefanie Murray at 377-1016 or [EMAIL PROTECTED].
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