U.S. sets aside $1 billion for swine flu vaccine

May 26, 2009 – 4:56 pm by Michael Christel

The money will be used for clinical trials this summer and for the production of two bulk ingredients that will be placed in a federal stockpile to be used if officials decide to go ahead with a large-scale H1N1 vaccination program, according to published reports.

The Wall Street Journal notes that the move helps lessen the risk manufacturers are taking on by producing ingredients for a vaccine that may or may not end up being used. The Department of Health and Human Services told the newspaper that the agency is placing orders for the ingredients with manufacturers with which it already has contracts to produce a pandemic vaccine. These contracts were originally focused on the possibility of a pandemic of H5N1 avian flu, which is considered much deadlier than the new strain of influenza that has swept the globe, but has not spread as widely among humans. As of Friday, the World Health Organization reported 11,168 confirmed cases of human H1N1 swine flu, covering 42 countries, and resulting in 86 deaths. (view WSJ’s map of the outbreak here).

According to The Wall Street Journal, much of the $1 billion to develop an H1N1 vaccine will be allocated as follows:

• Novartis will receive $289 million.

• Sanofi Pasteur will be given $190 million. Click here for the company’s official release on the contract.

• GlaxoSmithKline will receive $181 million. Late last week, HHS placed initial orders for GSK’s A (H1N1) influenza vaccine antigen and its proprietary adjuvant system, AS03.

• $150 million will go to additional manufacturers and others to be determined by HHS to produce pilot lots of vaccine and to pay for associated clinical studies.

Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have begun analyzing two candidate viruses that could be used to make a vaccine for swine flu. They plan to send one or both to manufacturers by the end of the week, so they can start the process of producing shots.