Novartis to build first cell culture-derived flu vaccine plant in USA

Switzerland-headquartered pharmaceutical giant Novartis has announced plans to build what it says will be the first cell culture-derived influenza manufacturing plant in the USA, at a site in Holly Springs, North Carolina. Construction is expected to begin in 2007 and will involve a total investment of about $600.0 million, including a recent $200.0 million award from the US Department of Health and Human Services. Once completed, the Holly Springs site is expected to produce up to 50 million doses of seasonal trivalent flu vaccines a year for use in the USA. In the event of a pandemic, the site is planned to have a capacity of up to 150 million monovalent doses annually within six months of a flu emergency being declared.