Singapore: CSL Biotherapies has been awarded by the United States (US) Department of Health and Human Services to supply pre-pandemic and pandemic vaccine antigens and related services to the US national stockpile.

Under the terms of the contract, the US Government may request CSL Biotherapies to manufacture and store bulk antigen that can be used against influenza strains with pandemic potential. The Company may also be called upon to develop working virus 'seeds' for other manufacturers and to formulate, fill and finish bulk stored antigen.

CSL Biotherapies is the only manufacturer of influenza vaccine in the Southern Hemisphere, with a capacity to produce in excess of 80 million doses of vaccine per annum. CSL Biotherapies is unique in that it is involved in every stage of influenza vaccine manufacture from the development of the 'seed' viruses necessary to produce vaccine all the way through to final, packaged product in syringes, ready to be administered.

During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, CSL Biotherapies was pivotal in producing vaccine early, initiating world-first clinical trials and providing pandemic vaccine for vaccination programs in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Germany, Singapore and Canada as well as to the World Health Organisation.

"CSL Biotherapies has a long and proud history of developing and manufacturing vaccines, dating back to the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, said Dr John Anderson, General Manager of CSL Biotherapies. Influenza pandemics can have devastating impacts and we are very pleased to be working with the US Government in their pandemic preparedness efforts".

As Australia's only on-shore influenza vaccine manufacturer, CSL Biotherapies is already contracted by the Commonwealth Government to manufacture vaccines in the event of an influenza pandemic.

"CSL takes its role in protecting Australia against pandemic influenza very seriously and we continually invest in our operations to remain pandemic ready," said Dr Anderson. "This puts us in a strong position to collaborate with governments globally to prepare for a pandemic emergency".

Funding for the CSL Biotherapies contract is provided solely by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, under contract No HHSO100201200011I. The contract has a maximum potential value of USD $1,511,407,737.78 if all optional activities are exercised over the duration of the contract.