Aventis to make flu vaccine year-round

0 Comments | USA TODAY, November, 2004 | by Anita Manning

Aventis Pasteur, the world's largest flu vaccine manufacturer and the sole supplier of flu shots to the USA this year, will begin preparing for year-round production under a $10 million contract announced Tuesday with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The contract is aimed at providing a hedge against future flu vaccine shortages or a global flu pandemic.

Flu vaccine is made in fertilized chicken eggs using a process that takes about six months. Because flu is seasonal, year-round vaccine production has not been a priority, but this year's drastic shortage and the threat of a pandemic emerging from the avian flu outbreak in Asia have given urgency to the need to shore up vaccine production.

The HHS contract, which could grow to $41 million by...