Novartis conquers vaccine fears, new markets; Cytos inks vax R&D deal with A*STAR;

Vaccine Market

To hear Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics' head of technical ops tell it, fear was the enemy when Novartis swept into its newly acquired vaccine company, Chiron. And conquering that fear was what allowed the Swiss drugmaker's vaccines unit to deliver H1N1 flu vaccine quickly--and globally--during last year's pandemic. Report

Intercell has won approval from Swiss officials for Ixiaro, a vaccine for Japanese Encephalitis. Story

An epidemic of whooping cough has broken out in California, spurring a statewide effort to get children immunized against an illness that has killed five people so far this year. Report

Vaccine Research

Switzerland's Cytos has inked a flu vaccine development deal with Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research, or A*STAR. They'll collaborate on a new seasonal flu vaccine that can be used in Asia. Story

Antigen Express has won a U.S. patent for an experimental therapeutic vaccine for patients with HER2-positive cancers. Report

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals reports that it has completed enrollment for its first late-stage trial of NicVAX, which is used to treat nicotine addiction. Release