sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
Date: June 14, 2007
For Release: Immediately
Contact: HHS Press Office
Headline: HHS Awards Two Contracts To Expand Domestic Vaccine
Manufacturing Capacity For A Potential Influenza Pandemic
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the award of two contracts to
expand the domestic influenza vaccine manufacturing capacity that could
be used in the event of a potential influenza pandemic.
The department has awarded two cost-reimbursable contracts totaling
$132.5 million to sanofi pasteur and MedImmune over five years to
retrofit existing domestic vaccine manufacturing facilities on a
cost-sharing basis and to provide warm-base operations for manufacturing
pandemic influenza vaccines. In warm-base operations, the contractor
does not shut down the facility.
``We must prepare for a flu pandemic, although it may not be possible to
be certain when the next one will come or how severe it will be,"
Secretary Leavitt said. "These contracts are important advances in the
path of preparation because they help the nation build its capacity to
respond.''
The five-year contracts were awarded to sanofi pasteur, a manufacturer
of a U.S.-licensed egg-based inactivated influenza vaccine product, for
$77.4 million and to MedImmune, a manufacturer of a U.S.-licensed
egg-based live, attenuated vaccine product, for $55.1 million. The
contracts provide funding for renovation of manufacturing facilities and
manufacturing warm-base operations for two years with options for an
additional three years of warm-base operation.
Upon completion, these facilities will expand domestic pandemic vaccine
manufacturing capacity by 16 percent. Additionally, these facilities
will afford year-round production of pre-pandemic influenza vaccines for
the national stockpile, which is limited currently to three months each
year.
The HHS Pandemic Preparedness Plan, issued in November 2005, outlines
public health preparedness and response activities for an influenza
pandemic. Major vaccine goals include the establishment of pre-pandemic
influenza vaccine stockpiles for 20 million persons in the critical
workforce and the expansion of domestic pandemic vaccine manufacturing
surge capacity for 300 million persons within six months of the onset of
an influenza pandemic.
HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response,
which oversees medical countermeasure development and acquisition
efforts through its Office of Biomedical Advanced Research and
Development Authority (BARDA), formerly the Office of Public Health
Emergency Medical Countermeasures, will manage these contracts.
###
</pre>
For Release: Immediately
Contact: HHS Press Office
Headline: HHS Awards Two Contracts To Expand Domestic Vaccine
Manufacturing Capacity For A Potential Influenza Pandemic
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the award of two contracts to
expand the domestic influenza vaccine manufacturing capacity that could
be used in the event of a potential influenza pandemic.
The department has awarded two cost-reimbursable contracts totaling
$132.5 million to sanofi pasteur and MedImmune over five years to
retrofit existing domestic vaccine manufacturing facilities on a
cost-sharing basis and to provide warm-base operations for manufacturing
pandemic influenza vaccines. In warm-base operations, the contractor
does not shut down the facility.
``We must prepare for a flu pandemic, although it may not be possible to
be certain when the next one will come or how severe it will be,"
Secretary Leavitt said. "These contracts are important advances in the
path of preparation because they help the nation build its capacity to
respond.''
The five-year contracts were awarded to sanofi pasteur, a manufacturer
of a U.S.-licensed egg-based inactivated influenza vaccine product, for
$77.4 million and to MedImmune, a manufacturer of a U.S.-licensed
egg-based live, attenuated vaccine product, for $55.1 million. The
contracts provide funding for renovation of manufacturing facilities and
manufacturing warm-base operations for two years with options for an
additional three years of warm-base operation.
Upon completion, these facilities will expand domestic pandemic vaccine
manufacturing capacity by 16 percent. Additionally, these facilities
will afford year-round production of pre-pandemic influenza vaccines for
the national stockpile, which is limited currently to three months each
year.
The HHS Pandemic Preparedness Plan, issued in November 2005, outlines
public health preparedness and response activities for an influenza
pandemic. Major vaccine goals include the establishment of pre-pandemic
influenza vaccine stockpiles for 20 million persons in the critical
workforce and the expansion of domestic pandemic vaccine manufacturing
surge capacity for 300 million persons within six months of the onset of
an influenza pandemic.
HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response,
which oversees medical countermeasure development and acquisition
efforts through its Office of Biomedical Advanced Research and
Development Authority (BARDA), formerly the Office of Public Health
Emergency Medical Countermeasures, will manage these contracts.
###
</pre>
