Point-of-use mixing of influenza H5N1 vaccine and MF59 adjuvant for pandemic vaccination preparedness: Antibody responses and safety. A phase 1 clinical trial

Abstract

Background. Avian influenza A/H5N1 has threatened human health for nearly 2 decades. Avian influenza A vaccine without adjuvant is poorly immunogenic. A flexible rapid tactic for mass vaccination will be needed if a pandemic occurs. Methods. A multicenter, randomized, blinded phase 1 clinical trial evaluated safety and antibody responses after point-of-use mixing of influenza A/Indonesia/05/2005 (H5N1) vaccine with MF59 adjuvant. Field-site pharmacies mixed 3.75, 7.5, or 15 mcg of antigen with or without MF59 adjuvant just prior to intramuscular administration on days 0 and 21 of healthy adults aged 18-49 years. Results. Two hundred and seventy subjects were enrolled. After vaccination, titers of hemagglutination inhibition antibody =1:40 were achieved in 80% of subjects receiving 3.75 mcg + MF59 vs only 14% receiving 15 mcg without adjuvant (P < .0001). Peak hemagglutination inhibition antibody geometric mean titers for vaccine + MF59 were ~65 regardless of antigen dose, and neutralizing titers were 2- to 3-fold higher. Vaccine + MF59 produced crossreactive antibody responses against 4 heterologous H5N1 viruses. Excellent safety and tolerability were demonstrated. Conclusions. Point-of-use mixing of H5N1 antigen and MF59 adjuvant achieved target antibody titers in a high percentage of subjects and was safe. The feasibility of the point-of-use mixing should be studied further.