Avant Immunotherapeutics, Inc. announced that, according to a report by the Reuters news agency, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) plans to invest approximately 450 million euros in a new facility in Belgium. The report stated that GSK will use this facility in part to develop, produce and conduct quality control on Rotarix, the rotavirus vaccine partnered with Avant. The production plant is reportedly scheduled to come on line by 2005.

"This report is a strong indication that Rotarix is in very advanced stages of development by GSK," said Una S. Ryan, Ph.D., Avant president and chief executive officer. "Avant is very pleased that our partner is clearly planning for the near-term commercialization of Rotarix, as evidenced by their commitment to this new facility for vaccine production."

Rotarix is a two-dose, oral rotavirus vaccine created by Avant and licensed to GSK for development and commercialization. GSK began a Phase III trial of Rotarix in 60,000 infants in Latin America and South East Asia during 2003. Based on positive results from this trial for which a majority of children have already been vaccinated - as well as data from over 6,500 previously vaccinated children - GSK plans to commercialize Rotarix in the European Union and other international markets before seeking marketing approval in the United States. Rotavirus infection causes potentially life-threatening diarrhea and dehydration in infants. This virus kills a child every minute in the developing world and causes over 2 million hospitalizations globally.