InvVax’s universal flu vaccine candidate has demonstrated preclinical success as the company prepares for a Phase I clinical trial, supported by a Series A fundraising round.
The team behind a microneedle patch designed to administer influenza vaccines say it has increased thermostability compared to needle and syringe immunisation methods.
Mucosis has been awarded a Wellcome Trust grant of €3.7m ($4m) to help develop a Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine using its intranasal delivery platform.
Novartis’ seasonal flu vaccine Fluad has been deemed safe by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) after testing the two batches connected to over a dozen deaths.
Two major influenza vaccine producers have run into manufacturing issues that have delayed and reduced the number of doses that will be provided for the US.
3M’s drug delivery division and US biotechnology firm VaxInnate have teamed up to develop transdermal influenza vaccine delivery patch in preparation for the anticipated pandemic.
Novartis has been given a warning by US regulators detailing
significant failures in its investigation into tracking down the
source of contamination in some of its vaccines.
Novartis last week began construction of a major new flu vaccine
manufacturing facility in North Carolina, the very first cell
culture-derived flu vaccine plant in the United States.
A statin-based drug candidate is being touted as a potential rival
to Roche's flu vaccine Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) after its
developers revealed yesterday that it showed "superiority"
in the preclinic.
Several major manufacturers have pledged millions of doses of H5N1
vaccine to go towards a global stockpiling scheme initiated by the
World Health Organization to protect against the threat of an avian
flu pandemic.
Biopharma firm Vivalis has announced several licence agreements for
its proprietary cell line technology, adding to the list of
companies applying the technology to develop and commercialise new
human influenza vaccines.
Thailand is the first recipient of six major grants the World
Health Organization (WHO) is distributing to developing countries
to establish in-country manufacturing capacity for influenza
vaccine.
A new human vaccine to be used in the case of a flu pandemic has
gained approval in the EU. The Novartis vaccine, Focetria,
will be manufactured containing the offending virus should the
World Health Organization's warning system...
US firm Vical has announced study results revealing a flu vaccine
reinforced with the firm's Vaxfectin adjuvant results in an
antibody response 60 times higher than the vaccine alone, and
allowed a 10-fold reduction in vaccine...
An experimental flu vaccine produced in insect cells could be a
potential money-saver for pharma firms, and has proved just as
effective as vaccines produced using conventional egg-based
techniques.
Russian researchers have developed an intranasal influenza vaccine
using a novel adjuvant technology, with plans to develop what could
become the first tablet flu vaccine formulation.
Moving from egg-based production of vaccines to the use of
cell-culture technologies in existing manufacturing plants is
cheaper and quicker than building new facilities to handle a flu
pandemic within the next five years, new research...
As America desperately waited for its influenza vaccines, Chiron
had to deal with major quality control issues between July and
October 2005 at its troubled vaccine manufacturing plant in
Liverpool according to a US Food and Drug...
FFF Enterprises has just been awarded a new contract to distribute
GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK's) flu vaccine in the US, making it the
largest flu vaccine distributor for the second year running.
Tests have begun on a new bird flu vaccine that its US developer
MedImmune hopes will prove more effective and provide several
advantages over current injectable flu vaccines in the event of a
bird flu pandemic.
Vaccine developer Iomai has solidified its position in
transcutaneous immunisation (TCI) by receiving a new US patent
which outlines methods for inducing an immune response to Iomai's
novel skin-patch-based vaccines.
Preclinical data from Vical's avian flu DNA vaccine program has
resulted in the company coming one step closer to $2.6m (€2m) in
funding for further development of the vaccine under a grant
awarded by the US government.
The US government has awarded five-year contracts totaling $1bn
(€780m) to five drug companies to develop and produce cell-based
vaccines to fight influenza, in preparation for a possible bird flu
pandemic.
MedImmune will soon ramp up production of its intranasal flu
vaccine after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved
its new and larger flu vaccine manufacturing facility in Speke,
England.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has positioned itself to dominate the US flu
vaccine market after it completed the acquisition of Canadian
vaccine company ID Biomedical for $1.7 billion (€1.15 billion) last
week.
The surge in vaccines against influenza has surprised Governments
across the world, with the stark admission that demand was
unforeseen. Avian flu, which has emerged as a real threat to
humans, has not only have added to the danger...
After positive trial results in Europe, Chiron has initiated a US
Phase I/II study of a new flu vaccine offering faster production in
the event of an vaccine supply shortfall or an avian flu pandemic.
Chiron has warned it will yet again fall short of targets for its
US flu vaccine deliveries this year due to continuing production
problems with its British manufacturing plant.
If there was any doubt that GlaxoSmithKline aims to become the
premier world supplier of influenza vaccine, it should be laid to
rest by yesterday's news that the number two drugmaker is buying
Canadian company ID Biomedical.
GlaxoSmithKline has acquired a manufacturing facility in the USA
from Wyeth, and will invest at least $100 million (€80m) to develop
and produce flu vaccines at the site using new tissue culture
technology.
Britiain's largest drugsmaker, GlaxoSmithKline, announced it is to
expand its ability to increase vaccines supplies by acquiring a
vaccine research and production facility from rivals Wyeth.
The world's second largest pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline,
is investing close to €100 million in a new manufacturing facility
in Dresden, Germany, for flu vaccines.
Chiron says it will be unable to supply any Begrivac influenza
vaccine to markets outside the US during the 2005/6 flu season,
just days after admitting it has sterility problems at a
manufacturing plant.
US drugmaker Chiron is facing a significant shortfall in the volume
of influenza vaccine it will be able to ship to markets outside the
US as a result of sterility problems uncovered at another of its
manufacturing plants, reports...
During the past 50 years, the number of pharmaceutical companies
making vaccines has decreased dramatically, and those that still
make them have reduced resources to produce new ones, writes
Phil Taylor.
Although US biotechnology company, Chiron, fully intends to be able
to provide its Fluvirin flu vaccine for the 2005/6 flu season, it
says it is difficult to predict the number of doses it will be able
to produce.
The UK regulatory authorities have cleared Chiron to resume
production of its influenza vaccine Fluvirin at its facility in
Liverpool, lifting a ban imposed in October because of
contamination problems at the plant.
Chiron said yesterday that the UK and US regulatory authorities are
expected to conduct a series of inspections of its manufacturing
facility in Liverpool, which was forced to cease production of
influenza vaccines last year, leading...
The UK suspension preventing Chiron's export of Fluvirin took
another twist yesterday after the biotech company became the
subject of a US federal investigation over its reporting of the
problems with the flu vaccine.
Chiron has had to cease production at a UK plant making influenza
vaccines, exacerbating an existing shortage of the jab ahead of
this year's flu season.
News that the outbreak of avian flu in Asia today claimed its
twelfth victim - and unconfirmed suggestions that it may be spread
from human to human - has lent additional urgency to efforts to
develop a vaccine against the virus.
The number of shots delivered in national influenza immunisation
programmes could be increased - without making any additional
vaccine - by simply using a syringe developed by Becton Dickinson.
Belgian pharmaceutical and chemicals firm Solvay expects to launch
a new version of its Influvac brand flu vaccine, based on a novel
cell-based production process, in 2005. The speed of the new
process means that a vaccine can be...