Chiron news from FierceHealthcare

As evidence grows that the bird flu virus is mutating, Health and Human Services officials want work to begin on a new vaccine based on more recent strains. At an immunology conference in Atlanta, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said that in order to be prepared government scientists need to anticipate potential genetic changes that could transform the virus. The HHS authorized the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Congrol to work on the new version found in Indonesia last …

French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis said that early stage trials of its experimental avian flu vaccine have produced promising results, triggering a good immune response in trial participants. The latest version of the vaccine appears to work well at low dosages, a sign that plans to stretch the available supply developed by public health officials could work. Officials admit that the vaccine will need to be tweaked to offer protection against a new strain of the H5N1 virus if a …

Despite a lack of evidence that it works, the government will stockpile 8 million courses of an experimental vaccine designed to offer protection against the avian flu. The vaccine is being co-developed by Chiron and Sanofi Pasteur and has yet to win approval from federal regulators. Article

The White House is expected to release the latest version of its plan to combat a possible H5N1 pandemic on Tuesday. President Bush will announce details of the government strategy at a press conference at the National Institutes of Health. The new strategy is said to emphasize early detection and a decentralized response plan in which local and state governments will be expected to play a key role. The administration is also expected to warn that a pandemic could last much longer than …

Vaccine maker Chiron said that it will not be able to meet its minimum production goal of 18 million doses in time for the 2005-06 flu season, again citing difficulties at its plant in the UK. CEO Howard Pien made the admission in a talk with analysts Monday but would not provide any additional details, leaving the extent of the shortage unknown. The news comes at a time when health officials are trying to calm public anxiety about the avian flu in the face of increasingly disturbing news …

The Food and Drug Administration approved three lots of Chiron's flu vaccine Fluvirin for general distribution, easing fears of a possible vaccine shortage for the 2005 flu season. The approval means up to 1.5 million doses of Fluvirin will be shipped within the next few days. The Wall Street Journal ran a major story on a potential flu vaccine shortage Monday, which raised the possibility that supply problems could follow if Chiron was not able to deliver. Skeptics note that the …

Despite assurances that manufacturers would be able to produce an adequate supply of flu vaccine for the 2005 flu season, early indications suggest there will be shortages across the country this year. While the problems do not yet seem to be as severe as those last year, many healthcare providers are reporting at least limited disruption of expected shipments. Partly to blame is more problems at Chiron, which was expected to supply between 18 million and 26 million doses of Fluvirin. So …

The Department of Health and Human Services is making preparations to fight a potential outbreak of pandemic influenza. On Wednesday, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said the administration will ask Congress for between $6 billion and $10 billion to bolster vaccine production in the US and develop adequate stockpiles of antiviral drugs. In the short term, the development is good news for Sanofi-Aventis, which announced a successful clinical trial of an experimental vaccine in August. It is …

While the potential for a shortage like the one last year appears to have diminished, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still approaching this year's flu season with caution. The agency released a plan Thursday which prioritizes the order in which groups should be given shots: people 65 and older, pregnant women, children between six and 23 months and healthcare personnel responsible for direct patient care.

The CDC estimates 75 million doses of flu vaccine are …

Food and Drug Administration regulators expressed "general approval" yesterday of Chiron's efforts to fix problems at its Liverpool vaccine plant, potentially clearing the way for the return of Fluvirin to the US market in time for this year's flu season. Contamination problems at the plant a year ago helped cause a widespread vaccine shortage, leading to chaos at many hospitals, clinics and doctors offices and fears of similar problems this year. Cynics are noting, however, that it was …