Vomiting-Bug Vaccine Seen as Shot in the Arm for Cruises

As a new strain of stomach flu leaves a trail of stomach-clenching illness from Sydney to San Diego, scientists are moving closer to thwarting it for good.

Early stage human studies on a vaccine against norovirus, the top source of gastroenteritis in the U.S., are set to finish this year. That would make work on the vaccine, developed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., the farthest along of several immunization candidates. A course of shots may confer lifelong protection against 95 percent of strains, said Rajeev Venkayya, who heads the Japanese drugmaker’s vaccines unit.