Pandemic influenza vaccine (H5N1)(GlaxoSmithKline Plc)

GSK has signed a framework contract with the European Commission’s (EC) Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) for the reservation of future production and supply of 85 million doses of its pandemic influenza vaccine, Adjupanrix, to support pandemic preparedness in Europe. The contract is one of the first signed by HERA since it was launched by the EC in September 2021 with a mission to ‘prevent, detect and rapidly respond to health emergencies’. Roger Conner, president of Vaccines and Global Health at GSK, said: “I’m delighted that HERA has chosen GSK as a key partner in pandemic flu preparedness… We have all seen the devastating human, economic and social consequences of a pandemic and the important part that vaccines are playing in helping us return to normal life. Through this agreement for 85 million doses, we can help the EU and European countries, as well as other countries and regions, be better prepared for future pandemics.” Adjupanrix is a vaccine for use in adults to protect against pandemic influenza and, according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), should only be used once an influenza pandemic has been officially declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the EU. Adjupanrix is a ‘mock-up’ vaccine, a type of vaccine that can be developed to help with the management of a future pandemic. Before an influenza pandemic begins, the strain of flu virus involved is unknown, so the correct vaccine cannot be prepared in advance. Instead, a vaccine can be prepared that contains a strain of flu virus to which very few people are immune. This vaccine can then be tested in advance to see how people react to it, allowing for the prediction of how people will react when the flu strain causing the pandemic is included. GSK has signed a number of contracts this year under which the company could provide at least 200 million doses of the pandemic influenza vaccine to governments around the world. In February, the company extended its pandemic influenza vaccine stockpile contract with the US government. This was followed by a renewed agreement in June for supply of pandemic influenza vaccines to the World Health Organization (WHO) and a contract with the government of Canada in July for both seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines.