HHS awards Sanofi Pasteur 3-year, $56.94M egg supply contract for pandemic vaccine preparedness

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), has been awarded a three-year contract for $56.94 million by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to maintain flocks to enable manufacturing pandemic influenza vaccine at full capacity on a year-round basis.

The contract supported by the HHS Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) affords rapid response and production of a strain-matched pandemic influenza vaccine in the event of a declared pandemic. The contract covers the year-round availability of sufficient eggs and other essential supplies to support production of interpandemic or pandemic influenza vaccine at the company's full production capacity. The year-round supply also enables Sanofi Pasteur to collaborate with the U.S. government to develop vaccines against other potential pandemic virus strains as they are identified.

Sanofi Pasteur received its first year-round egg supply contract from HHS in 2004 and has been under contract since that time. This new contract provides for an additional three years of supply. During the Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic of 2009-2010, Sanofi Pasteur provided more than 50 percent of the pandemic vaccine supplied to the U.S. government. Additionally, the contract provided eggs for production of H5N1 vaccine for the national pre-pandemic vaccine stockpile from 2004-2008. The company produces both seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines for the U.S. at its facility in Swiftwater, Pa.

"As a global vaccine leader, Sanofi Pasteur remains committed to supporting international public health efforts to prepare for an influenza pandemic," said Wayne Pisano, president and chief executive officer of Sanofi Pasteur. "This three-year contract demonstrates that egg-based technology remains a cornerstone of pandemic planning and preparedness. We welcome opportunities to discuss similar flock preservation initiatives with government health authorities around the world."

This project has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, under Contract No. HHSO100201000064C.