Contracts Awarded for New Flu Vaccine Technologies

(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded contracts to two companies to help make flu vaccines available quickly for seasonal outbreaks and pandemics. The contracts total $215 million from HHS’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

HHS awarded one contract to Novavax Inc., of Rockville, Maryland, for $97 million over the first three years, which can be extended for an additional two years, for a total contract value of $179.1 million. Novavax is expected to develop new technology to produce vaccines using insect cells to express influenza proteins and create virus-like particles that stimulate an immune response in humans.

The second contract was awarded to VaxInnate Inc. of Cranbury, New Jersey, for $117.9 million over the first three years, which can be extended for two additional years, for a total contract value of $196.6 million. VaxInnate is developing a recombinant influenza vaccine technology based on combining influenza and bacteria proteins to stimulate an immune response to protect against the flu.

Both companies are expected to conduct clinical safety and efficacy studies, and optimize and validate their manufacturing processes. These steps are needed to obtain licensing from FDA to use the new technologies to manufacture flu vaccine in the U.S.

Read more: Contracts Awarded for Countermeasure Upgrades

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