Chinese scientists develop bird flu vaccine

Chinese scientists have independently developed a vaccine for the H7N9 bird flu virus - a bug that has killed at least 45 people since March - and could be ready to launch it in six months, a research team spokesman said.

The vaccine was the first developed for an influenza by Chinese scientists, and was part of contributions by laboratories worldwide to control the H7N9 virus, said a statement from the vaccine research centre at Zhejiang University's First Affiliated Hospital. Research and development work ended last Monday.

Dr Yao Hangping, a spokesman for the team, which is part of a state-run laboratory at the hospital, told the that researchers had spent six months isolating virus strains for the vaccine.

"We were able to develop the virus strain fast," Yao said. "Our researchers spent just two days finishing the virus verification and sent it to our gene bank for further research and development. As a result, we completed all necessary vaccine safety assessments and experiments on October 21."

Zhejiang province had the most H7N9 cases, with 48 out of the mainland's 136 confirmed cases occurring there, which provided researchers with ample samples to study, he said.

"Before the vaccine can be put on the production line, manufacturers need to spend at least half a year going through several processes, including pilot tests, human trials, and drug approvals," Yao said.

He said two manufacturers had shown interest in producing the vaccine - the Hangzhou-based Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceutical and the Beijing Biological Products Institute.