HOLLY SPRINGS – Seqirus, which operates a manufacturing facility in Holly Springs that was constructed in 2009 as a public-private partnership with the United States Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), announced today that it won a federal contract to develop two “pandemic influenza vaccines.”

The company’s Holly Springs facility remains contracted with the U.S. government, through BARDA, to provide rapid vaccine manufacturing response in the event of an influenza pandemic, the company noted in a statement that was shared with WRAL TechWire, and was the first facility to be declared “pandemic ready” by the federal government.

The plant, which has the capacity to supply more than 150 million doses of pandemic influenza vaccines within 6 months of the designation and declaration of a pandemic, will be the site of the company’s influenza A (H2Nx) virus vaccine candidates.

The multi-year agreement, worth $34.95 million, according to the company, “will provide clinical development services to evaluate the safety, immunogenicity and dose-sparing capability of two influenza A (H2Nx) vaccine candidates.”

Add to COVID worries: Flu season is near – and Seqirus is pumping out new vaccines in Holly Springs

“As the largest cell-based influenza vaccine producer in the world, Seqirus’ Holly Springs facility makes a significant – and growing – contribution to the supply of seasonal influenza vaccines in the U.S., reflecting our ability to protect public health on an annual basis and underscoring our preparedness to respond to future influenza pandemics,” said Dave Sehgal, the site head for Holly Springs and the executive director of manufacturing at Seqirus in a statement.  “We remain committed to working with BARDA and other global partners on the front line of public health in mitigating the potentially devastating effects of another influenza pandemic.”

The first vaccine candidate uses a combination of cell-based and adjuvanted technologies, the company noted.  It would build on the company’s “first-ever adjuvanted” vaccine, approved in 2020 for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The second vaccine candidate uses mRNA, which the company noted in a statement “has demonstrated promise as compared to more traditional influenza vaccine technologies in preclinical research.”

Influenza is a common, contagious seasonal respiratory disease. According to the company’s statement, it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body that help protect against influenza virus infection.   “It is recommended that people get vaccinated before influenza begins spreading in their community,” the statement reads.

Even during COVID, Seqirus – with huge plant in Holly Springs – searches for next-gen flu vaccines

“As a global leader in pandemic influenza preparedness, Seqirus understands the vital role of global partnerships in preparing for the unpredictable, ever-present threat of pandemic influenza, which, according to the World Health Organization, is a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if,’” said Marc Lacey, executive director, pandemic response solutions at Seqirus, in a statement.

The company is a business unit of CSL Limited (ASX: CSL).

BARDA is a division of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS).