UPMC to Participate in 2009 H1N1 Flu Vaccine Clinical Trial for Asthma Patients
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 21, 2009 – The University of Pittsburgh Asthma Institute at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, a comprehensive program dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with asthma, is one of seven sites enrolling patients this month in a clinical trial to assess the effectiveness and safety of the H1N1 flu vaccine in children and adults with moderate to severe asthma.
The phase II study, co-sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), both parts of the National Institutes of Health, is assessing the safety and immunogenicity of the H1N1 vaccine in two different dose levels. According to Sally Wenzel, M.D., director of the institute and professor of medicine at Pitt, this study is particularly important because asthma patients are believed to be at a higher risk for developing severe or complicated H1N1 (“swine”) flu. Asthma patients also may need higher or additional doses of the vaccine in order for it to be effective.
“We hope this clinical trial will help us establish an ideal dosage of the vaccine for asthma patients. The emergence of the H1N1 virus represents a significant public health concern for already high-risk patient groups. We hope to vaccinate approximately 70 children and adults with asthma throughout the month of October and, in conjunction with other sites enrolling patients, determine both the safety of the vaccine as well as the ideal dosage,” said Dr. Wenzel. The study will be run at both the Asthma Clinical Research Center in UPMC Montefiore Hospital in Oakland and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC in Lawrenceville.
Approximately 400 patients, 12 years of age or older, with moderate and severe asthma will be enrolled in the study. The study population will primarily come from people with asthma who are already participating in the Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP), a network of clinical study sites funded by the NHLBI. Additional patients may be recruited by site investigators as long as they fulfill most of the SARP entry criteria.
About UPMC
UPMC is an $8 billion integrated global health enterprise headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and one of the leading nonprofit health systems in the United States. As western Pennsylvania’s largest employer, with 50,000 employees, UPMC is transforming the economy of the region into one based on medicine, research and technology. By integrating 20 hospitals, 400 doctors’ offices and outpatient sites, long-term care facilities and a major health insurance services division, and in collaboration with its academic partner, the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, UPMC has advanced the quality and efficiency of health care and developed internationally renowned programs in transplantation, cancer, neurosurgery, psychiatry, orthopaedics and sports medicine, among others. UPMC is commercializing its medical and technological expertise by nurturing new companies, developing strategic business relationships with some of the world’s leading multinational corporations and expanding into international markets, including Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Qatar. For more information about UPMC, visit our Web site at www.upmc.com.
About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
As one of the nation’s leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1997 and now ranks fifth in the nation, according to preliminary data for fiscal year 2008. Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region’s economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see www.medschool.pitt.edu.