MedImmune Vaccines Inc. of Gaithersburg, MD received a $32 million firm-fixed-price sole source contract. Sanofi Pasteur received a $12 million firm-fixed-price contract. Both Sanofi Pasteur and MedImmune will benefit from HHS funding of about $1 billion for clinical studies that will take place over the next few months and for commercial-scale production of two potential vaccine ingredients for the pre-pandemic influenza stockpile.

Sanofi Pasteur operates influenza vaccine production facilities in Swiftwater, Pa. and Val de Reuil, France. Production of the new A(H1N1) vaccine for HHS will initially occur in Sanofi Pasteur’s recently licensed influenza vaccine production facility in Swiftwater, Pa. Once ongoing seasonal influenza production concludes in the second facility in Swiftwater, A(H1N1) production can occur in both Swiftwater facilities.

In Swiftwater, Sanofi Pasteur has two licensed influenza production facilities. On May 6, 2009, the FDA licensed Sanofi Pasteur’s new influenza vaccine manufacturing facility in Swiftwater. When operating at full capacity, the new facility will have a capacity of approximately 100 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccine per year. An existing facility in Swiftwater is capable of producing 50 million doses per year and currently is producing vaccine for the 2009/2010 season. In total, the company will have a capacity equivalent to approximately 150 million doses of trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine per year in the United States when both facilities are operating at full capacity.

In Val De Reuil, Sanofi Pasteur is currently producing the trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine for the 2009/2010 season, with the capacity of 120 million doses per year. Sanofi Pasteur’s production facility in Val De Reuil is also capable of producing the new A(H1N1) vaccine.

MedImmune is producing the vaccine against the H1N1 influenza strain known as swine flu, using reverse genetics technology at its facility in the San Francisco area.