Safety surveillance of meningococcal group B vaccine (Bexsero®), Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, 2015-2018

Escherichia coli in the production of biopharmaceuticals

Escherichia coli has shouldered a massive workload with the discovery of recombinant DNA technology. A new era began in the biopharmaceutical industry with the production of insulin, the first recombinant protein, in E. coli and its use in treating diabetes. After insulin, many biopharmaceuticals produced from E. coli have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency to treat various human diseases. Although E. coli has some disadvantages, such as lack of post-translational modifications and toxicity, it is an important host with advantages such as being a well-known bacterium in recombinant protein production, cheap, simple production system, and high yield. This study examined biopharmaceuticals produced and approved in E. coli under the headings of peptides, hormones, enzymes, fusion proteins, antibody fragments, vaccines, and other pharmaceuticals. The topics on which these biopharmaceuticals were approved for treating human diseases, when and by which company they were produced, and their use and development in the field are included.

A practical guide to address reactions to vaccines in children

Currently available vaccines are safe, but, potentially, any vaccine can cause an allergic reaction and, albeit very rare, anaphylaxis can occur. Although its rarity, the precise diagnostic management of a suspected anaphylaxis postvaccination is of paramount importance due to the risk of a potentially serious reaction after re-exposure, while a misdiagnosis might lead to an increase in the number of children that interrupt vaccinations resulting in an unjustifiably individual and collective risk of loss of protection against immune preventable diseases. In the light that most cases of suspected allergy to a vaccine are not effectively confirmed in up to 85% of the cases referred for an allergy evaluation, patients can continue the vaccination schedule with the same formulation and tolerance of the booster doses. The patient assessment has to be done by an expert in the vaccine field, usually an allergist or an immunologist depending on the country, to select subjects at risk of allergic reactions and to perform the correct procedures for vaccine hypersensitivity diagnosis and management, in order to guarantee safe immunization practices. The aim of this review is to provide a practical guidance for the safe management of allergic children undergoing immunization procedures. The guide is referred both to the evaluation of children who have previously experienced a suspected allergic reaction to a specific vaccine and their management in case of further booster doses, and to children allergic to a component of the vaccine to be administered.

mRNA vaccine-a desirable therapeutic strategy for surmounting COVID-19 pandemic

As an acute respiratory infectious disease, COVID-19 threatens the safety of global public health. Given the current lack of specific treatment against this disease, research and development of vaccines have become sharp weapons for overcoming the pandemic. mRNA vaccines have become the lead in COVID-19 vaccination strategies due to their advantages, such as rapid industrial production and efficacy. A total of 137 COVID-19 vaccines have entered the clinical trial stage, among which 23 are mRNA vaccines, accounting for 17% of the total vaccines. Herein, we summarize the research and developmental processes of mRNA vaccines as well as the approach for protecting the human body against infection. Focusing on the latest clinical trial data of two COVID-19 mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Modena, we discuss their effectiveness and safety. Finally, we analyze the challenges and problems that mRNA vaccines face in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.