Well well, they are changing their tune... a few months back...

Well well, they are changing their tune... a few months back didn't CSL say they would have a prototype ready by January and then the proper vaccine by August.

This kind of raises the value of antivirals just a little one would think...


Bird flu vaccine may take 2yrs

From: AAP

November 23, 2005

THE development of an effective vaccine against bird flu could take up to two years, blood products and vaccines developer CSL Ltd said today.

CSL (csl.ASX:Quote,News) is currently conducting tests on a prototype vaccine for bird flu.
Market analysts have estimated the market for a bird flu vaccine is potentially worth $US3.5 billion ($4.75 billion).

CSL chief executive Brian McNamee said he hoped a vaccine could be developed faster, but there were still crucial factors to be determined.

"I think it likely that there will be a prototype vaccine that stimulates the immune response," Dr McNamee said.

"What we don't know is what the dose is and whether we need an adjuvant (an ingredient or treatment that enhances the immune response) – they're the two questions.

"I think those questions will be answered in the next two years. It could be faster than that, but if you need an adjuvant it may take that long. We need to be realistic."
Dr McNamee said CSL was optimistic and working hard on developing a vaccine for the H5N1 strain of bird flu as soon as possible, but the company could not forecast the data it needed to develop a vaccine.

Dr McNamee said the risk of a bird flu pandemic was real but the timing of it could be any time from now to a number of years away.

CSL was one of four major companies globally trying to develop a bird flu vaccine, but all of the companies had agreed to share data.

"We would feel that Sanofi and ourselves probably have the best data coming out shortly, GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) have some interesting data as well, and Chiron are doing some interesting work with an adjuvanted vaccine," Dr McNamee said.

"We well know that there's not enough manufacturing capacity in the whole world so we have to behave this way."

CSL had spent $10 million to $20 million in defending its intellectual property rights in relation to its human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, which in recent trials had been shown to be effective against types of cervical cancer.

"That's so far. There is still further intellectual property work we need to do, so it continues," Dr McNamee said.

The vaccine is being developed by global pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co Inc, based on technology licensed from CSL.

Dr McNamee said most of the intellectual property questions had been resolved but there remained a "fine debate" on the length of the patent periods.

Dr McNamee said the fact that the market for a HPV vaccine was so large had prompted everyone who felt that they had contributed to the discovery of a vaccine to make a claim for part of the intellectual property.

Dr McNamee said that even though the duration of the patent period still needed to be finalised, it would not result in any difference to CSL's forecast revenues from the HPV vaccine.

http://finance.news.com.au/story/0,10166,1...8-31037,00.html