Glaxo to make Swine-Flu Vaccine

Published: 17-May-2009

GlaxoSmithKline (Glaxo) is planning to produce a vaccine against the current strain of the A/H1N1 virus, responsible for the outbreak of swine-flu worldwide. Glaxo is trying to make the vaccine available to governments that have already placed orders, once it gets a copy of the virus from WHO.

Manufacturing a vaccine from the present strain of the virus entails some risk, as the virus is capable of mutating into a form that can turn the vaccine ineffective. If WHO declares a pandemic at a later date, the virus may have mutated enough by that time that a different vaccine will be required - as quoted in wsj.com.

Glaxo said that even though WHO has not yet declared the current outbreak a pandemic, several countries, as a precautionary measure, would like to stockpile the vaccine based on the current version of the virus as a precautionary measure. The UK has already ordered 60 million doses, while France and Belgium plans to procure 50 million doses and 12.6 million doses, respectively.

The vaccine will be produced using an extra ingredient called an adjuvant, which increases the vaccine’s effectiveness and stimulates a higher immune response in patients..

The company intends to donate 50 million doses of the vaccine to WHO for use in the developing nations, and as capacity increases, it will sell it to developing countries at a lower price.

According to Glaxo, the new vaccine would not hamper its production of vaccine for regular, seasonal flu and is capable of making both the seasonal and A/H1N1 vaccines.

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