US issues $1 billion in flu vaccine contracts

By Lisa Richwine and Maggie Fox

Reuters

May 4, 2006

WASHINGTON -
Five companies received more than $1 billion in contracts to develop
new and better influenza vaccines, and to make them on U.S. territory,
the U.S. Health and Human Services Department said on Thursday.

GlaxoSmithKline Plc was awarded $274.75 million, MedImmune Inc. was
awarded $169.46 million, Novartis AG won $220.51 million, DynPort
vaccine, working with Baxter International Inc., won $40.97 million and
Solvay won $298.59 million.

The companies will all work to develop cell-based vaccines to fight influenza.

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