Novartis-CHIRON to build vaccine plant in U.S.

[GaudiaRay]

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[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif] Novartis to build vaccine plant in U.S. [/FONT] <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#cdcdcb"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td height="2">
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[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif]Wednesday May 10, 5:50 PM EDT[/FONT]
http://money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_r...060510&date=20060510&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw
[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif] [/FONT] [FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif] <!-- Body --> DOW JONES NEWSWIRES[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif] Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG (NVS) (NVS) plans to build a new vaccine plant in the U.S. that will use state-of-the-art cell-based technologies to create avian flu vaccines more quickly, Novartis (NVS) chief executive officer Daniel Vasella told Dow Jones late Wednesday.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif] Although the company has not yet formally chosen a site, Vasella said the plant might be located in the Washington, D.C., or North Carolina area, both significant biotechnology hubs, but will not be sited in Boston or California, the two other leading biotechnology centers in the U.S.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif] The plant, which will likely cost around $400 million, will also be used down the road to produce other vaccines, such as those for seasonal flu.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif] Last week, Novartis (NVS) won a $220 million U.S. government contract to develop cell-based technologies for avian flu vaccine production.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif] Vasella said he expects most of the vaccine produced at the U.S. plant to go to the U.S. market.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif] Novartis (NVS) recently acquired California-based vaccine maker Chiron, which had been awarded a U.S. contract to produce avian flu vaccine.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif] -Val Brickates Kennedy; 415-439-6456; AskNewswires@dowjones.com [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,Sans-Serif] (END) Dow Jones Newswires
05-10-06 1750ET
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