SANOFI PASTEUR SIGNS CONTRACT WITH FRENCH GOVERNMENT TO PRODUCE PANDEMIC INFLUENZA VACCINE

Following discussions which started a few months ago, sanofi pasteur, the vaccines business of the sanofi-aventis Group, has entered into an agreement with the French Ministry of Health to produce pre-pandemic vaccine in 2005 against the H5N1 influenza virus strain, the so-called avian strain. This will create a stockpile of 1,400,000 doses of vaccine. Scientists believe the H5N1 strain could become the cause of a global influenza pandemic. The agreement also commits the company to being ready to provide enough vaccine for 28 million people in the event of a pandemic being declared, once the actual virus strain responsible has been identified.

Biotech Intelligence (http://www.biotech-intelligence.com/html/html/0d9c14043676866da3b92953228955bb.html)