Microencapsulation of Vaccines

Despite obvious successes in controlling most serious childhood infections, there is constant pressure to develop cheaper, safer, and more effective infant vaccination programs. However, any improvements to pediatric vaccines in the foreseeable future are likely to arise through the introduction of better adjuvants and delivery systems. For example, a single injection comprising primary and booster doses of vaccine would improve compliance in a cost-effective way by reducing the number of visits to clinics or medical centers. Equally, administering existing vaccines orally would remove the trauma of injection and the reliance on medical staff to perform the injections. Many vaccines are dependent on a cold chain; improving the stability of vaccines would help to reduce the cost of vaccination, To tackle such issues, researchers are borrowing ideas from other areas of the pharmaceutical industry to try to improve the performance of vaccines and reduce the cost of these important health-care interventions.