Novartis inaugurates large-scale US based cell-culture influenza vaccine manufacturing facility

24. Basel - Novartis Facility designed to supply 150 million doses of pandemic vaccine within 6 months of influenza pandemic declaration; facility ready to respond to a pandemic as early as 2011 if licensed in an emergency - Basel, November 24, 2009 - Today, Novartis officially inaugurated the US's first ever large-scale flu cell culture vaccine and adjuvant manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina. The facility is a result of a partnership between Novartis and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It is the first of its kind in the United States and highlights an important milestone in efforts to improve influenza vaccine manufacturing technology in the US and enhance domestic pandemic preparedness. "We are proud to be one of the first companies to bring influenza cell culture as well as adjuvant technology to the United States," said Daniel Vasella, CEO and Chairman of Novartis. "We have seen a great need to invest into new technologies for flu vaccines that will allow for quicker and more reliable production capacity. We are pleased to be working closely with the US government to build a world-class, state of the art manufacturing facility in the US that will change the way we manufacture influenza vaccines in the future." The total investment in the facility is nearly USD 1 billion, through a partnership between Novartis and HHS to support the design, construction, validation and licensing of the manufacturing facility in Holly Springs.