HHS funds H5N1 influenza vaccine contracts

In a conscious effort to ward-off bird flu, United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today gave out contracts totaling $132.5 million to three vaccine makers for the advanced development of H5N1 influenza vaccines.

The five year contract for the development of pandemic and pre-pandemic flu vaccines was received by England-based GlaxoSmithKline PLC for $63.3 million and $54.8 by Swiss-based Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc.

While an additional $14.4 million contract was awarded to Maryland-based IOMAI Corporation for a period of 15 months to complete Phase 1 clinical trials of their candidate vaccine.

However, upon successful completion of the Phase 1 trials, IOMAI may receive an additional $114 million in funding, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said.

The pharmaceutical giants are required to develop the vaccine using an immune system booster called an adjuvant. Adjuvant, a substance when added to a vaccine increases the body’s immune response to the vaccine’s active ingredient, called antigen.

Earlier developed on cell-based production technologies, the new adjuvant-based vaccine is a deliberate effort by the HHS to accelerate the development and production of new technologies for influenza vaccines.

As per the terms of the contract, vaccine manufacturing companies are required to increase their production capacity so that if a pandemic vaccine is needed, facilities are adequate for rapid production of large amounts of a vaccine specific to a new pandemic strain.

Each company is either required to manufacture 150 million doses of an adjuvant-based pandemic influenza vaccine or enough adjuvant for 150 million doses of a pandemic influenza vaccine within six months of the outbreak of the flu pandemic.

Vaccination being the most effective way to reduce the suffering and death caused by influenza, however, currently there is no vaccine available to protect humans against the H5N1 avian influenza, a virus that commonly affects birds and then gets transmitted to humans.

The bird-flu virus has killed hundreds of millions of birds in more than 40 nations. It has also infected more than 260 people and claimed about 160 lives.