A powdered anthrax vaccine that people potentially could take by themselves protects rabbits against the deadliest form of the bacteria, researchers said on Tuesday. Developed jointly by U.S. Army researchers and BD Technologies, the vaccine works about as well as current injected versions, the scientists said. “Our intranasal powder vaccine discovery may provide a highly effective, more flexible, mobile and easy-to-use method of administering the anthrax vaccine in clinical and field settings,” said Vince Sullivan, a chemist with BD Technologies who led the study. The company, a unit of syringe-maker Becton Dickinson and Company, said tests on people could be possible within two to three years.
