Story at a glance
- A study from Stanford found a pill was just as effective as the traditional injection at preventing the flu from a particular strain.
- Scientists called the research encouraging, but say the pill is still at least five years away from hitting the market.
- An oral pill could make vaccinations more widespread by eliminating the fear of needles.
A new oral flu vaccine is showing promise in its ability to protect humans against H1 influenza infection. The breakthrough could open the door to more widespread vaccinations.
In a new study published in the journal The Lancet this week, a pill manufactured by San Francisco-based biotechnology company Vaxart Inc. showed to be just as effective as the flu shot at creating immunity and preventing the flu from a particular strain.
“The availability of an oral flu vaccine would be a major breakthrough, not only because of the obvious comfort of avoiding a needle prick, but because an oral tablet vaccine would be easier and faster to distribute and administer than an injectable vaccine, which could have a major impact on improving global vaccination rates,” David R. Mcllwain, a senior research scientist at Stanford University who worked on the study, said to Fox News.
The study found a single dose of the oral tablet vaccine provided significant protection against H1 influenza infection.
Researchers called the results encouraging, adding that it will be important to see how the pill works with natural infection in the community. But an oral flu vaccine is still at least five years away from hitting the market, Sean Tucker, chief science officer at Vaxart told Fox News.
Tucker says research is ongoing in animals to make a universal flu vaccine available in pill form.
The study comes as there have been more than 13 million flu cases reported nationwide this season, with more than 6,000 deaths. This season has been especially hard on children, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting nearly 40 children have died from the flu nationwide.
But having a pill vaccine available could help protect more people.
A recent study found half of parents of toddlers and preschool-aged children say their kids are afraid of visiting the doctor, with fear of shots being the reason about two-thirds of the time. Meanwhile, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that almost 40 percent of those under the age of 17 do not receive an annual flu shot. Overall, less than half of Americans get their flu shot.
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