Research updates: meningococcus, dengue, and cocaine(!?!)

While we were away, there's been news on several fronts related to research on new vaccine candidates, some much farther along than others:

• Meningococcus -- The Jan. 9-16 issue of JAMA reported positive Phase II clinical trial data for a new meningococcal vaccine for infants manufactured by Novartis. The vaccine, called Menveo, would be the first available for infants, a population not covered by two meningococcal vaccines currently licensed in the U.S. Phase III trials are underway. An editorial on the results accompanied the paper in JAMA. Here's the Novartis Press Release and coverage from USA Today and HealthDay News.

• Cocaine -- There's been a great deal of attention to stories like this one on preliminary research at Baylor University that aims to develop what its (media-savvy) researchers generously describe as a "cocaine vaccine." Similar to reports of a "nicotine vaccine" that made the rounds a few years back, more interesting than speculation about a therapy that is many, many years away (if ever) is the continued broadening of the meaning of 'vaccine' by researchers working on just about any strategy that involves the immune system. Nevertheless, the media strategy worked, as one newspaper headline (originally in the Houston Chronicle) proclaims, "Researchers develop cocaine vaccine." Time magazine was on top of the story as well, publishing a news story as well as a bioethicist Q&A with the rather sweeping headline, "The Ethics of Vaccination."
  

• Dengue -- This commentary in the Jan. 9-16 issue of JAMA co-authored by NIAID Director Anthony Fauci reviews public health risks related to dengue and hemorrhagic fever in the United States. The essay reviews the progress and unanswered questions related to dengue vaccine development.