Quintiles exec: H1N1 vaccine expected in October :: Editor's Blog at WRAL Tech Wire

Updated Sep. 3, 2009 at 4:25 p.m.

Quintiles exec: H1N1 vaccine expected in October

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Anxious to be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus? You will be waiting until October and possibly later, says Quintiles Transnational Chief Medical Officer Oren Cohen.

In an interview with CBS News, Cohen said the earliest the vaccines could be available is mid-October.

Vaccines from multiple makers, including GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) and Novartis (NYSE: NVS), are still being tested.

"I think this fall it's unlikely we're going to have enough supply of vaccine to go around to the entire population," Cohen said.

Cohen made his remarks after President Obama updated H1N1 efforts on Wednesday. He said the administration is "thinking on their feet and making appropriate judgments as things play out."

Although Novartis said early results indicate its vaccine could be administered in one shot rather than two, Cohen said the most likely scenario remains two shots.

"It does create a logistical challenge to say the least," he said.

Quintiles, a contract research organization, is working with several companies in seeking means of combating H1N1.

Tags: Biotech & Life Science, Quintiles, GSK

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