The U.K.'s Acambis won the endorsement of an FDA expert panel for its experimental smallpox vaccine. ACAM2000 has been stockpiled in the U.S. over the past six years, but the company needs an FDA approval in order to gain new orders. The vaccine would not be made available to the general public but could be used to vaccinate soldiers who are routinely vaccinated against smallpox. Clinical trials of the vaccine did not result in any deaths, but regulators have been very cautious about the risks posed by ACAM2000. Rare and serious skin infections have been linked to the vaccine.
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