panflu Stats

[Mixin]

Sanofi plans to invest $6.25bn between June 2008 and 2015.
That amount is in addition to $940m it spent on its French facilities from 2005 to 2008.
They plan to construct and or expand 15 sites.

Val de Reuil, France facility cost $156m
Construction began in 2006, operational by the end of 2008.
The plant will be capable of filling 200m vials and syringes a year,
doubling the current capacity of Sanofi's operations at Val de Reuil.
Sanofi's new facility is capable of producing vaccines effective
against 20 diseases, including pandemic influenza strains.
It has the capacity to quickly switch production
once a pandemic flu strain is identified by the WHO
http://www.in-pharmatechnologist.com/news/ng.asp?id=86156

Sanofi announced plans to build a new flu vax facility in China in Nov 2007.
The plant will be providing flu vax for the local population,
which could be revved up to produce pandemic flu vax.
Construction is due to start 2008 and operational by 2012.
http://www.in-pharmatechnologist.com/news/ng.asp?n=81889-sanofi-aventis-india-manufacturing

Their Swiftwater, Pa. vax plant is designed to more than double the site’s capacity to over 100 million doses of flu vax per year.
The facility is currently projected to come on-line in late 2008 or 2009.
A $77.4 million contract was awarded by HHS to retrofit its existing Swiftwater influenza vaccine manufacturing facility.
Combining the capacities of the 2 facilities should enable sanofi pasteur to triple its influenza vaccine capacity in the U.S.,
Sanofi pasteur is the only company manufacturing inactivated influenza vaccine in the U.S.
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:gMWWteeOItUJ:198.73.159.217/sanofi-pasteur/ImageServlet%3FimageCode%3D19330%26siteCode%3DAVPI_US+seasonal+vaccine+manufacturing+capacity&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us

Rouen, France facility:
The expansion could double the 120 million doses currently manufactured at the plant within five years
The added capacity at the plant in northern France will allow increased production of the firm's yellow fever and polio vaccines, as well upping manufacture of the vaccine to protect against the avian flu virus, H5N1.
Work at the site has already begun, and is due to be complete by 2009.
Sanofi Pasteur will not be selling the approved vaccine commercially in the US. (Stockpile only)
The agreement (with HHS) was valued at up to $117.9m,
dependent on the number of doses that can be formulated.
There is also a contract with the French Ministry of Health to produce a 1.4 million dose stockpile of H5N1 vaccine
with a clause to provide enough vaccine to protect 28 million people in France should a pandemic strike.
The firm also has an agreement with the Italian Ministry of Health.
http://www.in-pharmatechnologist.com/news/ng.asp?id=75856-sanofi-pasteur-vaccine-bird-flu-h-n

As of Nov. 26, 2007 Sanofi is the only manufacturer of pandemic vaccine for the U.S.
Starting 2010, it is anticipated additional manufacturers will produce for the U.S. using a cell-based production process. (from the DHHS update)
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:AD2qAC_Z2OUJ:www.dshs.state.tx.us/comprep/pandemic/CDC%2520vaccine%2520planning%2520update%2520November%252026%25202007.pdf+seasonal+vaccine+manufacturing+capacity&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

[Mixin]

Sanofi to acquire Acambis for $546M
Acambis recently won a $425 million, 10-year contract to supply the U.S. government with its smallpox vaccine. Additional programs include vaccines against Japanese Encephalitis and West Nile virus, C. difficile and a promising universal flu vaccine. Sanofi stressed that the Acambis deal would strengthen its pipeline.
http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/breaking-news-sanofi-acquire-acambis-546m/2008-07-25
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And a little refresher course about the universal vax:

ACAM-FLU-A™ is a recombinant vaccine that uses a hepatitis B core protein (HBc) to present M2e, the extracellular domain of the ion channel protein M2(5). M2 is one of the three proteins expressed on the surface of the ‘A' strain influenza virus and of infected cells alongside haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Unlike HA and NA, M2 is highly conserved, albeit under natural conditions not easily recognised by the immune system. M2e could elicit an immune response to all influenza ‘A' strains. As such, ACAM-FLU-A™ has the potential to be both a universal pandemic or pre-pandemic influenza vaccine and part of a universal seasonal vaccine. Historically, influenza pandemics have been caused by ‘A' strains of the virus while seasonal vaccines target both ‘A' and ‘B' strains of the virus.
http://www.fiercebiotech.com/press-releases/acambis-reports-positive-data-trials-universal-influenza-vaccine