A universal influenza vaccine candidate proved to be potentially effective in a new study, according to news website Live Science.
The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, examined the safety and efficacy of Flu-v, a broad-spectrum flu vaccine that could become the highly anticipated universal flu vaccine, offering long-lasting protection and doing away with the need for annual flu shots.
Flu-v has been through phase 1 clinical trials that demonstrated it is safe. The current study is a phase 2 study and involved 175 healthy adults. The study participants were divided into two groups: one receiving Flu-v and the other receiving a placebo.
Researchers found that Flu-v elicited greater immune responses than a placebo, suggesting the vaccine increases the production of antibodies in the body.
The vaccine will now be tested for its effectiveness against flu infection in phase 3 clinical trials.