Csl Donates 3 Million Doses Of Pandemic H1n1 2009 Vaccine To The World Health Organisation (who) For

October 14, 2009
CSL Donates 3 Million doses of Pandemic H1N1 2009 Vaccine
to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for use in Low-Income
Countries in this Region

CSL Limited, Australia's leading biopharmaceutical company, has today
announced that it is donating 3 million doses of pandemic H1N1 2009 or `swine
flu' vaccine to the World Health Organisation for use in priority low-income
countries in the South Pacific as well as South East Asia.

Achieving equity of access to the H1N1 vaccine for developing countries
remains a major global challenge. As the only manufacturer of influenza
vaccine in the Southern Hemisphere, CSL has a unique role to play in not only
helping to protect the health of Australians, but also those in our region.

The company will continue to work with the WHO and other partners to identify
further ways in which we can help expand access to this very important vaccine.

`Vaccine manufacturers around the world have found achieving adequate yields
of the H1N1 vaccine very challenging, significantly limiting vaccine production'
CEO Dr Brian McNamee said today.

`Our scientists have worked around the clock not only to improve vaccine yields,
but on clinical studies to determine the most effective dose of the H1N1 vaccine
to achieve an immune response. This knowledge has enabled us not only to
meet our contractual obligations to Australia and the USA, but to make this
additional contribution to the developing world'.

`Data from Australian hospital admissions has shown that far from being a mild
disease, swine flu has been responsible for over 700 admissions to intensive
care last winter. In countries where this level of care is difficult to access, many
seriously affected people are still likely to succumb to the virus' he said.

CSL's ability to meet its obligations to the Australian Government, together with
the single dose requirement ascertained from its clinical studies, has enabled
the Australian Government to donate 10% of the H1N1 vaccine purchased from
CSL to the WHO. CSL's donation is in addition to this pledge made by the
Commonwealth Government last month, taking Australia's total contribution of
vaccine to the developing world to over 5 million doses.


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