UAB Receives $4.3 Million for Anthrax Vaccine Study

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has received a five-year $4.3 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a study of the FDA-approved anthrax vaccine.

Posted on October 11, 2001 at 9:27 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has received a five-year $4.3 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a study of the FDA-approved anthrax vaccine. The study will determine if the vaccine is equally safe and effective in producing desired antibodies when given in fewer doses over a shorter period of time.

Currently, the vaccine is administered in six doses over 18 months, followed by annual boosters. “Preliminary studies indicate that it might be possible to reduce the number of doses and to inject the vaccine into the muscle rather than under the skin,” says Dr. Mark Mulligan, director of the Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic at UAB (AVRC at UAB) and associate director of disease agent clinical research for the Center for Disaster Preparedness at UAB.

“The nation needs an anthrax vaccine with a reduced dosing schedule and easier route of administration,” says Mulligan. “It would dramatically reduce the cost and logistical burden of immunizing U.S. military forces and make the goal of total force immunization more attainable.”

A vaccine that is easier to administer and better tolerated would also be more acceptable to potentially at-risk populations. “Complete immunization of all forces potentially at risk, particularly during a wartime situation, would serve as a deterrent against the use of biological weapons,” says Mulligan.

The study, set to begin early next year, is a joint effort by the AVRC at UAB and the Center for Disaster Preparedness at UAB. “Both groups bring a wealth of experience and expertise to this project,” says Mulligan. “It is a good marriage that will serve to contribute significantly to the CDC’s anthrax vaccine agenda.” UAB is one of five sites nationwide participating in the study.

“This is a very important effort,” says Dr. Thomas Terndrup, director of the Center for Disaster Preparedness at UAB. “The events of September 11 have shaken our security and will serve as an impetus to projects like this. If the terrorist attacks hadn’t happened we would still be moving forward, but perhaps at a different pace.”

More information about the study and contact information for those interested in participating in the trial will be made available later this year.