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Swiss OK Novartis swine flu vaccine from cells

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  • Swiss OK Novartis swine flu vaccine from cells

    Swiss OK Novartis swine flu vaccine from cells

    <!--//Byline box//-->By Associated Press
    Friday, November 13, 2009 - Added 11m ago

    BASEL, Switzerland ? Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG said today it has received regulatory approval in Switzerland for a swine flu vaccine produced using cell cultures instead of egg-based methods.

    The company last week received its first national approval in Germany for the vaccine, which is marketed under the name Celtura.
    With demand high because of the pandemic, companies are trying to find a more efficient way of producing swine flu vaccine than the slow method of cultivating seed virus in chicken eggs.

    Still, the vast majority of swine flu vaccines are produced in eggs, so the availability of more cell-based vaccine is unlikely to significantly boost global stocks in the short term.

    Cell-based technology has previously been licensed in Europe for the production of seasonal flu vaccines, Novartis said.
    Celtura has been submitted for approval in Japan, it said.

    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela
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