MADISON, Wis.--(Business Wire)--
FluGen Inc., an emerging leader in the development, production and delivery of
influenza vaccines, today announced that its proprietary CHO-cell-based
production system has generated novel 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine virus without
the use of eggs during any step of production.
Unlike traditional vaccine production methods, FluGen`s CHO-based system does
not use eggs. The company expects its cell-based, egg-free method to readily
transfer to full-scale vaccine production and is in the process of developing a
highly-efficient, production-scale system that will be available in the near
future.
FluGen`s system would avoid the costly and time-consuming steps of egg-based
production, including propagation of the virus in eggs and production of the
vaccine itself in eggs. This egg-based process, by which all influenza vaccines
are now produced, can take up to six months to deliver vaccine. The worldwide
shortages of seasonal and novel 2009 H1N1 vaccine, exacerbated by this year`s
influenza pandemic, highlight the need for a quicker, cleaner, egg-free vaccine
production method like FluGen`s.
The company said that its proprietary CHO cells have demonstrated the ability to
produce novel 2009 H1N1 vaccine virus safely, cost-effectively and at yields at
least as high as the highest-producing mammalian cells used for growing
influenza viruses. CHO cells have been in common use in protein research,
pharmaceutical discovery and pharmaceutical production for decades.
"The results of our studies demonstrate that our CHO cells are a breakthrough
vaccine production method, producing high yields of vaccine virus, so that eggs
are no longer necessary to produce vaccines on a large scale," said Paul V.
Radspinner, president and chief executive of FluGen. "For these reasons, we
believe that our CHO-based virus production system would have circumvented the
current shortage of novel 2009 H1N1 vaccine. Our production system also will be
very cost effective and safe for standard seasonal vaccines as well."
FluGen is developing additional vaccine-production technologies that will be
used in conjunction with its proprietary CHO cells to further enhance its
vaccine virus production capabilities.
"We look forward to discussing additional technologies we are developing for use
with our CHO cells that we believe could boost production yields extraordinarily
higher," Mr. Radspinner said.
About FluGen Inc.
FluGen is an emerging leader in the development, production and delivery of
influenza and related infectious disease products. The company has proprietary,
differentiating technologies that enable it to create value and compete in the
large, rapidly growing influenza vaccine market. FluGen is actively advancing a
valuable product pipeline that provides the company with unique competitive
advantages and addresses significant unmet customer needs. These products
include a live attenuated vaccine candidate, a cell-line technology that
provides improved vaccine production efficiency and capacity, and a novel,
vaccine-loaded intradermal delivery technology. For more information about
FluGen, please visit our web site at www.flugen.com.
Paul Radspinner
President & Chief Executive, FluGen Inc.
608-442-6561
or
Rod Hise
The Luminis Group, Ltd. for FluGen Inc.
608-807-4607
Copyright Business Wire 2009
