Swiss pharmaceutical group Novartis has inaugurated its first large-scale flu cell culture and adjuvant manufacturing plant in the United States.
This content was published on
1 minute
The facility, with a cost of almost $1 billion (SFr999 million), is a partnership between the Basel-based company and the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Adjuvants are additives that boost the body’s response to a vaccine and lowers the dose needed. They are not licensed in the US at present because of widespread public suspicion of new vaccine ingredients.
Novartis explained in a statement that the plant in Holly Springs, North Carolina, was the first of its kind in the US and was a “milestone” in efforts to improve influenza vaccine manufacturing technology in the US and enhance domestic pandemic preparedness.
The facility will use modern biotechnologies for flu vaccine production to replace the 50-year-old egg process.
It is designed to supply 150 million doses of pandemic vaccine within six months of a pandemic declaration and could respond from 2011.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss fight internet supply of illegal medicines
This content was published on
The campaign, involving more than 20 countries, resulted in a series of arrests and the seizure of thousands of potentially harmful medical products, according to Interpol. “The problem of supply of counterfeit and illegal medicines is a global problem and everywhere around the world this is a growing trend,” Ruth Mosimann, head of the Control…
This content was published on
The number of people with swine flu is rising fast: the Federal Health Office warned on Thursday that the number of cases of the H1N1 influenza had tripled over the space of one week to 4,500. But only 27 per cent of the general public are expected to get vaccinated. The Federal Health Office warned…
This content was published on
A doctor in Bern told swissinfo.ch that the Federal Health Office’s policy was “catastrophic”, and at a drop-in centre for children not one parent could be found who intended to vaccinate either themselves or their children. “Definitely not,” one mother replied. “For me the side effects of the vaccination haven’t been scrutinised and I’ve heard…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.