The contracts are worth GBP33 million and will help prepare for and reduce the impact of a possible flu pandemic.
The vaccine will be used to carry out further research and could also be used to vaccinate key healthcare workers before a specific pandemic vaccine can be developed and made available. It is scheduled for delivery in May and October 2006.
Commenting on the deal, Baxter’s corporate vice president Joy Amundson said, “We are proud to provide the necessary technology, manufacturing capability and other resources to assist the National Health Service in its efforts to protect individuals from the threat of a flu pandemic.”
Baxter also is working with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to develop a cell culture-based pandemic influenza vaccine for the H5N1 strain. Baxter will be providing the candidate vaccine to the NIAID for clinical testing in the US, which is expected to begin in 2006.
Chiron, meanwhile, has a contract to supply the US government with pre-pandemic influenza vaccine for a stockpile to protect against the H5N1 avian influenza virus strain. Chiron, which is expected to be acquired by Novartis in H1 2006, has agreed to provide the stockpile vaccine to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this year.