Microbix
Microbix specializes in developing proprietary biological technologies which have led to the development of a pipeline of products in three areas; Biotherapeutics, vaccines and non-therapeutic biologics
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Microbix to build Asia’s largest flu vaccine plant in China
Developer of proprietary biological technologies Microbix (TSX: MBX) has tapped into the Chinese influenza vaccine market, launching a joint venture with state owned Hunan Biopharmaceutical to build the world’s third largest vaccine plant in a country where only 2% of the population are immunized against the flu.
The JV will build and operate the US$200 million facility in the
Changsha National Biomedical Park, which will have the capacity to
produce 100 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccine annually and up
to 300 million doses of a pandemic influenza vaccine in the event of an
outbreak to immunize against a single strain of influenza.
The
facility will be designed around Microbix VIRUSMAX vaccine technology,
which has demonstrated a double average yield increase over current
production methods.
The construction will begin in 2010 and the plant is expected to be fully operational by 2013.
“Microbix will play a major role in meeting the public health
needs in China where, due to limited vaccine production capacity, only
two percent of the population is immunized against flu, while the World
Health Organization recommends that countries have the capacity to
vaccinate at least 60 percent of their populations,” said Chairman and
Chief Executive of Microbix William Gastle.
Microbix, which will be targeting both the Chinese and Asian
markets, expects China to demand up to 500 million influenza vaccine
doses annually. Te company also aims to seek approval for the vaccine
manufactured at the Hunan plant from the FDA (Food and Drug
Administration) in the US and European Medicines Agency.
