HHS granted Sanofi Pasteur a $226 million contract to increase the country's capacity to produce a pandemic flu vaccine, according to AHA News.
Sanofi will work with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to retrofit vaccine manufacturing facilities in Swiftwater, Pa. The effort will double Sanofi's capacity to manufacture a recombinant protein-based flu shot.
The agreement gives HHS access to the drugmaker's vaccine production capacity for up to 25 years, which translates into nearly 1 million flu shot doses for use during a pandemic.
Sanofi is the only drugmaker licensed to manufacture a recombinant flu shot in the U.S., which is much quicker to produce than traditional egg-based vaccines.