Swine Flu Vaccine or H1N1/09 vaccine initial Phase I human testing began with Novartis' MF59 candidate in July 2009, at which time phase II trials of CSL's candidate CSL425 vaccine were planned to start in August 2009, but had not begun recruiting. Sanofi Pasteur's candidate inactivated H1N1 had several phase II trials planned as of 21 July 2009 (2009 -07-21)[update], but had not begun recruiting. News coverage conflicted with this information, as Australian trials of the CSL candidate were announced as having started on 21 July, and the Chinese government announce the start of trials of the Hualan Biological Engineering candidate.
Pandemrix, made by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), was approved by the European Medicines Agency on 25 September 2009, and Baxter's vaccine has been reported as likely to get approved the following week. The first comparative clinical study of both vaccines started on children in the UK on 25 September.
Swine flu vaccinations began Monday with squirts up the noses of health care workers in Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee — it just tickled, shrugged one — as the government opened a massive effort to immunize over half the nation in a few months.
Vaccinations against swine flu — what scientists call the 2009 H1N1 strain — won't gear up in earnest until mid-October, when at least 40 million doses will have rolled out, with more coming each week. Even then, first doses are supposed to be for the people at highest risk of catching swine flu. Arkansas earmarked its first shipment, expected Tuesday, for in-school vaccinations. Pennsylvania, too, will send early shipments to school-age kids in parts of the state where swine flu already is active.