A North Carolina biotechnology facility has contracted with the federal government to produce up to 5 million doses of a bird flu vaccine.
The Australian-headquartered company CSL Seqirus announced that its facility in Holly Springs, N.C., had been chosen by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) “to complete the fill and finish process of pre-pandemic vaccine for the U.S. government as a part of the National Pre-Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Stockpile (NPIVS) program.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statement, there’s been an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in wild birds which has caused an outbreak in poultry and dairy cows.
As a result, several dairy workers have tested positive for the bird flu.
“While the current public health risk is low, CDC is watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposure,” the CDC said.
Bird flu has been detected in 9,373 wild birds, 96.6 million commercial poultry, and 68 dairy herds.
In addition, 50 jurisdictions have reported wild birds having bird flu, 48 states reporting outbreaks in poultry, and nine states reporting outbreaks in cows.
“This is the third human case associated with an ongoing multistate outbreak of A(H5N1) in U.S. dairy cows,” the CDC said. “None of the three cases are associated with the others. As with the previous two cases (one in Texas, one in Michigan), the person is a dairy farm worker with exposure to infected cows, making this another instance of probable cow-to-person spread.”
Risk Remains Low
The CDC said it was the first human case of bird flu in which acute respiratory illness was reported, which the CDC called the “more typical symptom” of influenza.There’s been no increase in emergency room visits, the CDC said, nor an increase in detection in humans.
Risk to humans continues to remain low because according to its risk assessment, the three cases came from contact with cows.
“Risk depends on exposure, and in this case, the relevant exposure is to animals,” the CDC said.
Because the risk remains low, CSL Seqirus Executive Director for Pandemic Marc Lacey said the company is “closely monitoring” the cases.
He added that the bird flu strain can pose a serious threat and that the company takes its partnership to keep the government prepared seriously.
“This agreement, building upon prior agreements with BARDA, will help support the U.S. government’s ability to respond swiftly in the event that the current avian flu situation changes,” he said.
It’s the fourth contract BARDA has made with CSL Seqirus as a part of its NPIVS program in response to bird flu detection.
‘Pandemic Preparedness’
Dave Ross, CSL Seqirus general manager, said that surveillance, testing, and vaccines are critical tools for preventing a pandemic.“As a global leader and proud champion of pandemic preparedness, CSL Seqirus welcomes the BARDA award to fill-finish and deliver pre-pandemic vaccine,” he said.
CSL is among the largest influenza vaccine manufacturers, the company stated on its website.
Through its research and development, it “utilizes egg, cell and adjuvant technologies to offer a broad portfolio of differentiated influenza vaccines in more than 20 countries around the world.”
Its areas of focus also include COVID-19, antivenoms, and Q fever vaccines.
The North Carolina facility was built through a public-private partnership with BARDA in 2009.
“It utilizes a highly scalable method of production and is currently positioned to deliver up to 150 million influenza vaccine doses to support an influenza pandemic response within six months of a pandemic declaration,” the company stated in its press release. “After this, a second wave of manufacturing could be enabled to provide further pandemic vaccines as needed.”
