9th Nov 2011, 2:20 pm by Brad Lemaire

Sinovac Biotech (NASDAQ:SVA) posted Wednesday preliminary phase two trial results for EV71, the biopharmaceutical company’s hand, foot and mouth disease vaccine, which elicited a positive immune response and showed a favourable safety profile.

According to results, the EV71 vaccine showed “good immunogenicity” and a favourable safety profile, with no vaccine-related serious adverse events.

In the phase two trial, about 540 subjects, comprised of infants from six months to thirty-five months old, were enrolled in the placebo-controlled study.

Results have provided reference data for a phase three clinical trial, including a vaccination schedule and proper dosage levels.

The phase three trial will evaluate the efficacy of protection against hand, foot and mouth disease and will be designed as a multi-centre, randomized and controlled study.

Sinovac said it expects to initiate the trial in the coming months and aims to finish the study in one year.

“The positive phase two results are a significant milestone in the development of our EV71 vaccine to address a significant unmet medical need in that area,” chief executive Weidong Yi said in a statement.

“We have started the preparation work for the phase three clinical trial, including determining the phase three clinical trial proposal, selecting the clinical sites and preparing for the vaccines to be used.”

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is a mild and contagious viral infection. it is characterized by sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet. More than 90 percent of reported cases of hand, foot and mouth disease occur in children under five, the company said in a statement.

Since 1997, the number of reported cases associated with severe neurological symptoms caused by EV71, as well as deaths, has risen across the Asia-Pacific region. Outbreaks have been seen in Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, mainland China, Australia and Singapore.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Health’s data available for the period from January 1 to September 30, 2011, the disease caused 399 deaths in China and roughly 1.2 million were infected in a nine-month period, as reported by health authorities. In August of 2011, over 32,000 infectious cases were reported in Vietnam with 81 deaths.

Currently, there are no specific treatments or vaccines available.

In addition, the company said it is working on setting up a manufacturing site for its EV71 vaccine and aims to finish construction and good manufacturing practices certification in 2013.

The Beijing, China-based company’s shares rose four cents, or 1.70 percent, reaching $2.39 Wednesday on the Nasdaq.

This was the reality of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 1924 in Merced County. the majority of the animals, which included 18,000 cattle and 14,000 sheep, goats and hogs, ended up in long trenches at the Bellevue Ranch, on what was then called G Grade. Animals were also killed and buried in the Amsterdam and Buhach areas and Snelling.

Art imitated life in the 1963 film “Hud,” when the disease forced a family of Texas ranchers to shoot their livestock in a cattle pit.

“Technology has improved to a degree,” said Annette Whiteford, the state veterinarian who works for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. “But one of the tools would still be euthanasia.”

The United States hasn’t had an outbreak of foot and mouth since 1929, when there was another outbreak in California. But as South Korea scrambles to control its worst outbreak of the disease and it appears in other countries, including Bulgaria, California animal authorities are asking the state’s ranchers and veterinarians to be vigilant.

Whiteford said foot and mouth disease is highly contagious, and although humans don’t get it, the damage to livestock is horrific.

“This is a devastating, heartbreaking disease,” Whiteford said. “If one animal in a herd has the disease, the entire herd must be killed.”

The symptoms are blisters on the tongue, inside the mouth and on the hairline of the hoof, Whiteford said. Cattle will stop eating and display excessive salivation.

When the outbreak happened in 1924 in Merced, it started with cattle at the Bellevue Ranch. A livestock dealer shipped some infected cattle and then visited local ranches.

In March, cowboys from the Bellevue Ranch rode to La Paloma Ranch on La Paloma Road, north of Merced, and brought 500 cattle down from the hills.

Some of the cattle were shipped to Los Angeles, and with them the disease spread.

Whiteford said it’s believed the outbreak in 1924 was started when garbage from another country was fed to hogs.

Foot and mouth has appeared in several countries, and Whiteford said she’s convinced it will reach the United States.

“It’s not if, it’s when,” she said.

Anyone who sees any symptoms of foot and mouth in his cattle, sheep, goats or swine should contact a veterinarian as soon as possible, Whiteford said.

“The goal is to have vigilance,” Whiteford said. “We could deny and not recognize that something could be this disease because we don’t see it every day.”

If the disease is found in California, Whiteford said the best way to stop it is to report it as early as possible.

For more information on foot and mouth, go to the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s website at cdfa.ca.gov.

Reporter Carol Reiter can be reached at (209) 385-2486 or .

Hand- foot-and-mouth disease is only a human disease, and should not be confused by foot and mouth disease that affects cattle, sheep and swine.  The diseases are not related.  Humans do not get the animal disease, and animals do not get the human disease.

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is a viral disease that affect mostly children and young adults.  It is most prevalent during summer and fall.

Early symptoms of this condition vary, but generally include a sore throat and mouth, a loss of appetite, and a fever.  in a few days, a rash appears in the mouth, on the fingers,  the hands and the feet.  It may also occur on the buttocks and genitals.  Blisters develop on the rash as well as around the mouth and tongue.  The mouth area will feel sore and irritated.

The best treatment for hand-foot-and-mouth disease involve treating the symptoms as there is no known cure.  Make sure the child is well hydrated.  Cold drinks or frozen treats may help relieve the soreness in the mouth.  A topical lotion such as calamine lotion may be used on the hands and feet to relieve itching.  to reduce the fever and pain, give acetaminophen.  Remember that no-one under twenty years of age should be given Aspirin. Bland food will be most acceptable.

Because the hand-foot-and-mouth disease virus spreads easily, it is better to keep children isolated until all symptoms disappear or even longer if you physician advises.  The virus is spread through contact with infected saliva, mucous, and stools, as well as from infected surfaces and the discharge fro the blisters.   The best prevention against the disease is to carefully wash the hands after any possible contact with the virus or with an infected person.

Complications connected to hand-foot-and-mouth disease are rare, but if all symptoms have not disappeared in one week, or seem to be worsening, see your physician immediately.VN:F [1.9.3_1094]VN:F [1.9.3_1094]Understanding Hand-Foot-And-Mouth Disease, 10.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating Spin The Wheel! View A Random InfoNugget…