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Two Australian drugs manufacturers have begun clinical trials of a vaccine for humans against A/H1N1 swine flu. Almost 600 people are taking part in the tests, although the results will not be known for almost six weeks. In the US, the University of Maryland’s Centre for Vaccine Development CVD announced it was to begin clinical trials in early August with 1000 volunteers. The hope is to be able to deploy an effective vaccine by the begin of the flu season in the Northern hemisphere’s winter. New cell-based technology potentially boosts the vaccine production capacity of pharmaceutical companies to millions a week. But most vaccine-producing drugs firms are still producing vaccine for the seasonal variety of flu, and are not yet geared up for mass-scale production of an A/H1N1 vaccine. Human clinical trials are an important step in the approvals process. BBC, CNN, GenevaLunch