sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
Date: April 24, 2007
For Release: Immediately
Contact: HHS Press Office
STATEMENT BY MIKE LEAVITT
Secretary of Health and Human Services
On the Grants Awarded by the World Health Organization to
Increase Global Manufacturing Capacity to Produce Influenza Vaccines
The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken an important step forward
in the global effort to prepare for an influenza pandemic by awarding up
to $15 million in grants to six nations to support the establishment or
expansion of domestic manufacturing capacity for influenza vaccine.
Once this production capacity is in place, these countries will be able
to make seasonal influenza vaccine domestically under the standards of
good manufacturing practices, to protect their populations. Some could
be in a position also to export vaccine to their neighbors. Most
importantly, should an influenza pandemic emerge, they will have the
infrastructure in place to convert their production lines to
manufacturing pandemic vaccine.
I am proud the United States, through my Department, was able to
contribute $10 million to support this funding.
The current global manufacturing capacity for influenza vaccine is far
short of the capacity needed to protect the world's six billion people
in the event of an influenza pandemic. In the United States, we have
been making significant investments in vaccine research and development
and in expanding influenza vaccine production surge capacity, including
$1.3 billion in cell-based vaccine and antigen-sparing influenza
advanced development efforts. These investments will likely benefit not
only citizens of the United States, but also citizens of the world.
But responding to a pandemic will demand the cooperation of the world
community. No nation can go it alone. I commend WHO Director-General
Dr. Margaret Chan for her continued leadership in guiding these efforts,
but all of us need to do much more as global partners to ensure we are
better prepared tomorrow than we are today.
For Release: Immediately
Contact: HHS Press Office
STATEMENT BY MIKE LEAVITT
Secretary of Health and Human Services
On the Grants Awarded by the World Health Organization to
Increase Global Manufacturing Capacity to Produce Influenza Vaccines
The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken an important step forward
in the global effort to prepare for an influenza pandemic by awarding up
to $15 million in grants to six nations to support the establishment or
expansion of domestic manufacturing capacity for influenza vaccine.
Once this production capacity is in place, these countries will be able
to make seasonal influenza vaccine domestically under the standards of
good manufacturing practices, to protect their populations. Some could
be in a position also to export vaccine to their neighbors. Most
importantly, should an influenza pandemic emerge, they will have the
infrastructure in place to convert their production lines to
manufacturing pandemic vaccine.
I am proud the United States, through my Department, was able to
contribute $10 million to support this funding.
The current global manufacturing capacity for influenza vaccine is far
short of the capacity needed to protect the world's six billion people
in the event of an influenza pandemic. In the United States, we have
been making significant investments in vaccine research and development
and in expanding influenza vaccine production surge capacity, including
$1.3 billion in cell-based vaccine and antigen-sparing influenza
advanced development efforts. These investments will likely benefit not
only citizens of the United States, but also citizens of the world.
But responding to a pandemic will demand the cooperation of the world
community. No nation can go it alone. I commend WHO Director-General
Dr. Margaret Chan for her continued leadership in guiding these efforts,
but all of us need to do much more as global partners to ensure we are
better prepared tomorrow than we are today.