Pfizer Inc. has completed the acquisition of Baxter International Inc.’s portfolio of marketed vaccines. The portfolio that was acquired consists of NeisVac-C and FSME-IMMUN/TicoVac. As previously announced, Pfizer also acquired a portion of Baxter’s facility in Orth, Austria, where these vaccines are manufactured.
“NeisVac-C and FSME-IMMUN/Ticovac are a strong fit with our vaccines business and this acquisition adds value, scale and depth to our existing portfolio of innovative vaccines,” said Susan Silbermann, president and general manager, Pfizer Vaccines. “These best-in-class products enable us to reach a broader population with vaccines that prevent infections from serious and often fatal diseases.”
NeisVac-C is a vaccine that helps protect against meningitis caused by group C meningococci(MenC). This serious infection of the membrane covering the brain may be fatal in roughly 10-15 percent of patients and 30 per cent to more than 50 per cent of survivors may suffer from severe physical, social and mental damage. MenC is one of the most prevalent meningococcal serogroups in many parts of the world and vaccination with NeisVac-C has been shown to be highly effective.
FSME-IMMUN/TicoVac is a vaccine that helps protect against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), an infection of the brain, which is transmitted by the bite of ticks infected with the TBE-virus. Every year, the TBE virus causes thousands of cases of neuroinvasive illness in humans across Europe and Asia and is a growing public health concern in Europe and other parts of the world. FSME-IMMUN/TicoVac is approved in 30 countries and has been marketed for over 30 years with approximately 120 million doses produced since 1976.