H1N1 vaccine timeline

Timeline created by newsonline in History

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Event Date:	Event Title:	Event Description:
05/19/2009	Vaccine will take longer than expected: WHO	The World Health Organization says it will take longer than expected to produce a vaccine for the H1N1 virus. Flu experts are having a tougher time than expected growing the H1N1 virus in the lab. This is making it more difficult for the scientists to retrieve a seed stock necessary to the production of the vaccine. (CBC)
05/26/2009	WHO recommends vaccine's composition	Following tests on the various H1N1 strains found across the world, WHO recommends that vaccines for the pandemic H1N1 virus contain the A/California/7/2009(H1N1)v virus as it is the closest relative to the virus. WHO will begin to distribute the A/California/7/2009(H1N1)v virus seed strain —the base material for the development of a vaccine takes — to vaccine manufacturers.
05/30/2009	GSK receives strain of H1N1 virus	GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) begins developing the H1N1 vaccine in late May upon receipt of the A/California/7/2009(H1N1)v virus seed strain from WHO. The vaccine will comprise antigen of the A/California/7/2009(H1N1)v influenza strain and also contain GSK's proprietary adjuvant system AS03. The adjuvant is added to the antigen at time of administration to boost your system's response to the vaccine, making it more effective.
05/31/2009	GlaxoSmithKline's vaccine	The government of Canada has a contract since 2001 with GSK to maintain vaccine production capacity in Canada. H1N1 vaccine antigens are expected to be available in four to six months time.
06/11/2009	WHO declares H1N1 pandemic	WHO declares a phase six pandemic of the H1N1 swine flu, the highest on the scale. A phase six pandemic means that there is a human-to-human spread of the virus and that there is a community outbreak in more than one country in different parts of the world. The last pandemic announced by WHO occurred more than 40 years ago in 1968.
07/31/2009	Production of vaccine starts	Production of the H1N1 begins following completion of GSK's seasonal vaccine at the end of July, as per guidance from WHO and the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization. The production of the vaccine takes five to six months from the moment where WHO isolates the virus strain to when the vaccine is ready for roll-out.
08/06/2009	Canada orders vaccine from GSK	Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announce that the government of Canada will place an order for 50.4 million doses of H1N1 vaccine. The $400 million contract is going to GlaxoSmithKline's factory in Quebec City. Most of the 50.4 million doses of H1N1 vaccine will contain an adjuvant — a substance used to boost the vaccine's effectiveness. The 1.8 million doses that won't include the adjuvant are intended for pregnant women. (GlaxoSmithKline/Reuters)
08/14/2009	H1N1 human tests begin	GSK, the manufacturer of Canada's swine flu vaccine, starts testing the vaccine on people. GSK says it plans to test its vaccine on more than 9,000 people in Canada, the United States and Europe as part of 16 clinical trials. The first trial — based in Germany — will assess the use of the vaccine given as two doses, 21 days apart in 128 healthy adults, aged between 18 and 60.
09/14/2009	GSK releases German trial results	GSK releases the initial results of its first trial. The trial is designed to test the safety and effectiveness of the company's H1N1 vaccine. According to the results, more than 98 per cent of subjects who receive a first dose of 5.25 micrograms of vaccine and the company's AS03 adjuvant show signs of protection three weeks later, compared with 95 per cent of those who receive the vaccine without the adjuvant, the company says.
10/13/2009	Canadian clinical tests start	The Ministry of Health fast-tracks the swine flu vaccine. Two thousand healthy Canadians will take part in GSK Canada's clinical trials. An interim order — issued by the health minister in rare situations where immediate action is required to deal with a significant risk to human health, public safety, or the environment — allows GSK to start limited clinical tests on humans in Canada.The clinical trials will cover issues that have not been focused on by previous studies. (CBC)
10/16/2009	GSK announces results from second clinical trial	GSK announces the results from a second clinical trial of its pandemic (H1N1) adjuvant vaccine. The trial shows that one dose of the vaccine can provide a strong immune response which exceeds the criteria as defined by international licensing authorities using the lowest dose of antigen available in pandemic vaccines.
10/19/2009	1st H1N1 vaccines shipped	H1N1 vaccine doses were shipped to provinces in anticipation that the limited Canadian clinical tests were successful. "Two million doses of vaccine have already been shipped to provinces and territories to facilitate the implementation of their programs, once authorization is given," Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones, said at a news conference. (CBC)
10/21/2009	H1N1 vaccine approved for rollout	Health Canada authorizes the rollout of the H1N1 vaccine. One dose of the H1N1 vaccine seems to offer immunity in the "high 90s" in healthy adults, said Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer and most people will gain immunity within 10 days of receiving one dose. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
10/26/2009	Canada secure an additional supply of non-adjuvanted vaccine	Another 200,000 doses of vaccine without the adjuvant are ordered from CSL Australia under a special order for emergency access. The vaccines without the adjuvant are recommended for pregnant women. The 200,000 additional emergency doses from CSL Australia will be available ahead of the GSK order, said Ontario's chief medical officer of health Dr. Arlene King. (Ron Heflin/Associated Press)
10/26/2009	Widespread vaccination campaign starts	Provinces and territories kick off the vaccination campaign against the H1N1 virus. Most provinces and territories will focus the campaign this week on health-care professionals and people in high-risk groups. (Michael Turschic/CBC)
10/28/2009	No H1N1 vaccine for Ontarians with egg allergies	Residents with egg allergies are unable to the H1N1 vaccine, because eggs are used as incubators for the H1N1 vaccine. (Reuters)
10/29/2009	Provinces ration smaller flu vaccine supply	Fewer doses of H1N1 vaccine are expected next week because the vaccine manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, has a single production line. The company needs to stop producing adjuvanted vaccines to make the non-adjuvant type for pregnant women. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)
11/03/2009	GSK resumes production of adjuvant vaccine	According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, this week Canada will receive just 400,000 doses of adjuvanted and 225,000 doses of non-adjuvanted vaccines, compared to two million doses that were received last week. The shortages of vaccines are causing provinces and territories to further restrict the allocation of doses. In New Brunswick, the Horizon Health Network has cancelled 34 H1N1 vaccine clinics scheduled this week for school children blaming the sudden cancellation on the shortage.
11/05/2009	H1N1 vaccine safe after millions of doses: WHO	WHO says that the vaccine is safe after millions of doses have been given so far and no unusual side-effects have been seen. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)