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news.Schering-Plough has announced a licensing agreement between Nobilon, the company's human vaccine business unit, and the World Health Organization to provide access to pandemic influenza vaccine manufacturing technology to developing countries.
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Under the agreement, which was signed recently at World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Nobilon has granted WHO a non-exclusive license to develop, register, manufacture, use and sell seasonal and pandemic live, attenuated, influenza vaccines (LAIV), produced on embryonated chicken eggs.
WHO will be permitted to grant a sub-license to vaccine manufacturers in developing countries working within the framework of the WHO global vaccine action plan. Vaccine manufacturers to whom a sub-license will be granted will be able to provide vaccines to the public sector of developing countries royalty-free.
Egg-based LAIV technology is specifically considered attractive for this purpose because the manufacturing technology process is easier to transfer, capital investment is lower and yields are higher, as compared to inactivated influenza vaccines, said Schering-Plough.
The WHO global vaccine action plan seeks to expand influenza vaccine manufacturing capacity in developing countries and enhance the global supply for pandemic vaccines.
Fred Hassan, chairman and CEO of Schering-Plough, said: This project demonstrates Schering-Plough’s strong commitment to innovation and to providing access to medicines. Our collaboration with the WHO is most important because it is aimed at allowing many developing countries to gain access to proven influenza vaccine manufacturing platforms.