Baxter Awarded Pandemic Supply Contract From Department of Health

Baxter International Inc., (Deerfield, IL, www.baxter.com), has entered into an advanced supply agreement with the Department of Health that contains an option to purchase pandemic influenza vaccine in the event the World Health Organization (WHO) declares a pandemic.

Baxter will manufacture its pandemic vaccine in a serum-free, vero cell-based system, at one of the largest cell culture vaccine facilities in the world. Vaccines produced using this process can be released within approximately 12 weeks, significantly earlier than with traditional egg-based systems. All influenza strains with pandemic potential tested for growth in vero cells have produced replicable high yields, providing the company with the ability to respond to emerging variant pandemic virus strains.