Bavarian Nordic manufactures and releases MVA-BN to US Government two months ahead of schedule
As part of the US Government’s program to develop a safe smallpox vaccine, Bavarian Nordic A/S has manufactured and released 5,000 doses of its smallpox vaccine MVA-BN to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) two months ahead of schedule.
The vaccine is destined for clinical studies in the USA. With its early delivery, Peter Wulff, President and CEO of Bavarian Nordic sees his company’s expertise in manufacturing MVA-BN endorsed and "in such a competitive development program further enhances Bavarian Nordic’s reputation as the leading company developing a safe smallpox vaccine."
The contract to develop a safer smallpox vaccine was announced by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson in February 2003. At present, existing smallpox vaccines cannot be given to individuals with weakened immune systems, children or pregnant women.
The accelerated milestone-based contract administered by NIAID, (within the National Institutes of Health) brings forward the completion of pre-determined objectives. The milestones dealt with manufacture of 5,000 doses of the test vaccine and they had to be completed in August.
This achievement is the latest in Bavarian Nordic’s ongoing worldwide program to develop MVA-BN as the safe smallpox vaccine. It is the only company to have produced and supplied commercial quantities of MVA.
Bavarian Nordic remains the only company to have completed small animal studies, a clinical Phase I trial, and initiated a Phase II clinical study investigating the safety and immunogenicity of MVA-BN in healthy volunteers.
Keywords : Bavarian Nordic Denmark Smallpox Vaccine MVA-BN Safety Efficacy Clinical trial supplies Test vaccine Maufacturing Commercial production US Government contract NIAID National Institutes of Health
