Sanofi Pasteur: H1N1 vaccine production starts now
SWIFTWATER, Pa. Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the Sanofi-Aventis Group, on Wednesday announced it has received the new influenza seed virus, which means production against a possible H1N1 vaccine begins immediately.
“As a company committed to protecting human health, Sanofi Pasteur looks forward to quickly understanding how this virus performs in a vaccine manufacturing environment and developing a working seed that will enable large-scale production,” stated Wayne Pisano, president and CEO of Sanofi Pasteur. “This is an important step for engaging Sanofi Pasteur's resources and expertise to support public health authorities and the directives they provide us.”
Receipt of the seed virus means that Sanofi Pasteur will begin the development process, called “passaging,” that will yield a “working seed.” Passaging is the process for acclimating virus to grow in a production environment at optimum yield. The passaging process is expected to take approximately two weeks. Following quality controls, Sanofi Pasteur will be prepared to begin industrial production as soon as directed by public health agencies.