Baxter Awarded Pandemic Advanced Supply Contract

Baxter International announced that its European subsidiary in the UK has entered into an advanced supply agreement with the UK Department of Health that contains an option for the agency to purchase pandemic influenza vaccine in the event the World Health Organization (WHO) declares a pandemic.

Baxter said it is conducting clinical testing of the adjuvant-free candidate H5N1 (avian) influenza vaccine.

A Phase I/II study in Europe indicated that study subjects administered Baxter’s H5N1 candidate vaccine developed antibody responses at low doses and substantial levels of cross immunity against widely divergent H5N1 strains.

According to Baxter, in the study, the tolerability profile of Baxter’s H5N1 candidate appeared to be similar to that of seasonal flu vaccines.

The company also recently completed enrollment in a 550 subject Phase III trial of the H5N1 candidate vaccine for mock-up licensure in Europe, adding that it expects study data later this year.