Older Sooners to test vaccine
BY VALLERY BROWN NewsOK.com
Thursday, July 30, 2009
7/30/09 at 3:18 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY — A research company will give some older Oklahomans access to the swine flu vaccine before it is available to the general public.
IPS Research has announced a study for people age 65 and older to test the effectiveness of the swine flu vaccine.
Participants in the Oklahoma City study will be given the vaccine and then monitored by phone and through office visits.
Dr. Louise Thurman, medical director for the research company, said at least 200 healthy adults are needed for the study.
She said patient visits will start Aug. 17.
Participants will go through a 42-day trial and receive three identical doses of vaccine.
The study will look at whether people develop immunity to the H1N1 virus.
Thurman said an independent data monitoring committee will review the data weekly to make sure that the vaccine is safe.
Federal agencies and pharmaceutical companies also will monitor the trial.
The company also announced last week that it will offer the vaccine trial for 3- to 8-year-olds.
Thurman said the company would know by mid-August whether the trial will be made available to people ages 18 to 64.
For more information, call 235-8188 or go online to www.ipsresearch.com.
On Wednesday, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee announced what groups of people would be considered a priority when the swine flu vaccine becomes available to the public this fall.
Health-care workers, emergency medical responders, pregnant women and people with medical problems are among those on the list.
Swine flu statistics
Oklahoma
- 190 reported cases
- 1 death, a 43-year old Kay County man
United States
- 37,246 reported cases
- 1 million estimated actual flu cases, according to the CDC
- 211 deaths
vbrown@opubco.com
