Novartis Swine Flu vaccine Progress.

Novartis's vaccine against H1N1 swine flu gave a strong immune response even after one dose in a pilot trial, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday.

The trial with 100 volunteers run by Britain's Leicester University showed a potentially protective immune response in 80 percent of subjects after one dose and more than 90 percent after two doses, Novartis said in a statement.

The Novartis vaccine, called Celtura, was well tolerated by the volunteers, with pain at the injection site the most frequent complaint.

Novartis said more trials were already under way around the world, including more than 6,000 adults and children but did not give any details on when the vaccine would be widely available.