IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERSTATE DEFLATIONARY PRESSURES:

Researchers found in the Phase 1 trial that a universal flu vaccine, one designed to protect against all strains of the flu, sparked a strong immune response while producing no more side effects than the current seasonal flu vaccines, according to a report published Monday in Nature Medicine.

"This was the first time that a Phase 1 study in humans looked at a rationally designed vaccine that has the potential to protect against all kinds of seasonal flu, as well as a potential flu pandemic," said study co-author Florian Krammer, a vaccine specialist and a professor of microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai in New York. "It shows that it's possible to think about how to design a vaccine to get the immune system to do what you want and how to rationally design vaccines to get broad protection."

If the universal vaccine continues to do well in the next two stages of testing required to get Food and Drug Administration approval -- Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials -- that could mean no more yearly flu shots, Krammer said. People would need between two and three doses upfront and then they would be protected for years, he said. 

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