The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded two contracts to support the production and clinical testing of an investigational vaccine based on a strain of avian influenza, H5N1, which might have the potential to cause pandemic influenza. If a pandemic of H5N1 avian influenza were to occur in humans, production of such a vaccine on a commercial scale could be used to protect laboratory workers, public health personnel at risk and, if needed, the general public.
The new contracts were awarded to Aventis Pasteur Inc. of Swiftwater, PA, and to Chiron Corporation of Emeryville, CA. Both companies already manufacture inactivated influenza virus vaccines that are licensed for use during annual influenza seasons.