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Flu information resource – Overview

As a leading provider of vaccines and anti-viral medications, GSK is committed to supporting governments, health authorities and our own employees around the world in planning to respond to a global influenza pandemic. GSK is the only company that has an antiviral, Relenza®, and pre-pandemic vaccine that may be useful in fighting a pandemic. GSK has invested over $2 billion to expand our flu vaccine manufacturing capacity and increase production of Relenza.

GSK’s Milestones in Pandemic Preparedness

• August 16, 2007: GlaxoSmithKline signs contract for its pandemic flu vaccine with UK Government
• August 3, 2007: GlaxoSmithKline receives new HHS order for H5N1 bulk antigen
• June 13, 2007: GlaxoSmithKline to make unprecedented vaccine donation to WHO pandemic flu stockpile
• May 2, 2007: GlaxoSmithKline supports World Health Organization efforts to strengthen global pandemic preparedness plans
• March 5, 2007: New studies indicate GSK’s pre-pandemic influenza vaccine can protect against different strains of H5N1
• January 23, 2007: GSK announced that the file for their proprietary adjuvanted split antigen pre-pandemic vaccine has been accepted for review by the CHMP.
• January 4, 2007: GSK entered into an APA with the Danish government to supply its split candidate pandemic antigen and proprietary adjuvant once a pandemic has been declared.
• January 2007: GSK begins supplying its antiviral, Relenza® (zanamivir for inhalation), to the U.S. government and begins working with private-sector businesses and other organizations to provide Relenza® as part of their business continuity planning.
• January 2007: GSK receives from the HHS a $63.3 million contract to develop antigen-sparing H5N1 pandemic influenza vaccines.
• December 15, 2006: GSK announces that Daronrix™ its alum-adjuvanted whole virus candidate pandemic vaccine; received a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use.
• November 2006: GSK received a $40 million initial order for bulk H5N1 antigen from HHS.
• October 18, 2006: GSK signs contracts with Switzerland to supply its split pre-pandemic antigen and proprietary adjuvant for stockpiling, in addition to an Advanced Purchase Agreement (APA) for its pandemic vaccine in the event a pandemic is declared.
• September 2006: GSK reached an agreement with the Simcere Pharmaceutical Group of Nanjing, China, granting the right to manufacture and sell the anti-viral influenza treatment zanamivir in China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and all Least Developed Countries.
• July 2006: Clinical studies announced by GSK showed promising preliminary results on the potential antigen-sparing properties of its candidate pre-pandemic influenza vaccine.
• May 2006: GSK received an HHS contract worth $274 million to develop cell-culture technology to speed the development of new cell culture-based seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines, and to scale-up cell culture manufacturing capability at GSK’s Marietta, PA site.
• 2005: GSK made three important acquisitions in North America: a vaccine manufacturing site in Marietta for cell-culture-based flu vaccines and secondary operations; Corixa Corporation, for its work in developing innovative adjuvants designed to stimulate immunity; and ID Biomedical, which offered a significant increase in flu vaccine manufacturing capacity to help address both seasonal and pandemic influenza threats.