Chiron develops novel influenza vaccine

Production of influenza vaccine using cell-culture technology may offer advantages over traditional manufacturing methods by eliminating the dependence on chicken eggs for production. The removal of egg supply lead times would enable flexible and faster start-up of vaccine production in the event of an annual vaccine supply shortfall or an avian influenza pandemic.

Chiron’s flu cell culture vaccine is produced from virus propagated in the Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell line. The company filed an investigational new drug application (IND) for the flu cell culture vaccine in the US last year.

“Moving from egg-based to cell-based influenza vaccine production is an important step in enhancing our preparedness against pandemic influenza and provides flexibility in meeting surges in influenza vaccine demand,” said Walter Orenstein, professor of medicine of pediatrics and associate director of the Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta, Georgia. “This effort will help address the challenge of responding to a pandemic.”

The company has also completed enrollment of a second phase III study of the investigational flu cell culture vaccine in Europe. A first pivotal phase III study of flu cell culture vaccine in Europe, conducted in 2004, met the safety and immunogenicity endpoints of the study.