Novavax creates candidate vaccine for H1N1

ROCKVILLE, Md. A U.S. drug maker announced Wednesday that it had created a candidate vaccine to fight the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus.

Novavax said it used a proprietary production technology based on virus-like particles instead of growing the vaccine in chicken eggs, the most common method for producing flu vaccines, allowing for more rapid production of a vaccine. The company said it plans to produce additional batches of vaccine to support human clinical studies.

“The accomplishments announced today further validate our strategy to create a rapid, in-border influenza vaccine solution for governments around the world by addressing gaps in currently available vaccine technologies,” Novavax president and CEO Rahul Singhvi said in a statement.