The last flu pandemic came and went in 2009—with lots of advanced hype and much less effect. When the next flu pandemic arrives and its severity is anyone’s guess. Either way, the U.K. has a plan in place.
Tuesday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) revealed an agreement with CSL Seqirus to be on standby to develop and manufacture more than 100 million strain-matched flu vaccines if a pandemic is declared by the World Health Organization. The deal is in place for the next four years, CSL said.
Having a flu pandemic readiness plan is nothing new for the U.K. But this deal provides an extra measure of preparedness as vaccines would be manufactured in CSL Seqirus’ plant in Liverpool, ensuring that Britain would be first served even if global demand outweighs supply.
“This agreement represents a major step forward in our preparedness,” Jenny Harries, the UKHSA’s chief executive, said in a release. “Manufacturing these potentially life-saving vaccines inside the UK gives us speedier and more secure access, enabling us to roll them out to those who need them more quickly.”
CSL Seqirus and the UKHSA have been influenza pandemic partners for a decade. But this deal takes advantage of the new end-to-end manufacturing capability of the Liverpool site, which recently added a high-speed fill-and-finish facility, according to CSL’s site head Nige Hilton.
CSL Seqirus is one of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturing companies, with a “singular focus” on influenza and a portfolio of services for rapid response, according to its website.
Flu pandemics are highly unpredictable and can happen at any time, the UKHSA said. Four pandemics have occurred since 1918, with the Spanish Flu outbreak of that year being the most deadly, claiming 50 million lives. The next two were in 1957 and 1968.
The U.K. government has been busy lately with disease preparedness. Last week, the Centre for Process Innovation opened a 26.4 million pound sterling ($32 million) plant in Darlington, the RNA Centre of Excellence, which will have the capability to produce 100 million vaccines annually during an emergency.