Sanofi pasteur, the vaccines business of the sanofi-aventis Group has supplied to the Italian Ministry of Health a stock of pre-pandemic vaccine against the H5N1 avian influenza virus strain.

Under the agreement with the Italian Ministry of Health, sanofi pasteur may also provide pandemic vaccine in the event of a pandemic being declared, once the actual virus strain responsible is identified, states the company release.

According to the terms of the contract, sanofi pasteur has supplied, in bulk concentrate form, the H5N1 pre-pandemic vaccine produced in its facility in Val de Reuil, France. Formulation and filling of the vaccine can be carried out, at any time, at the request of the Italian Ministry of Health. If formulated at a concentration of 15 micrograms of H5N1 antigen per dose, the stock delivered is expected to allow the preparation of 185,000 doses of vaccine.

The contract with the Italian Ministry of Health will be carried out in collaboration with Sanofi Pasteur MSD, sanofi pasteur's joint venture with Merck & Co. Inc. for the development and distribution of vaccines in Europe; It constitutes yet another step in sanofi pasteur' s support to the efforts to prepare the world for the possibility of an influenza pandemic.

Recently, sanofi pasteur announced that preliminary results of clinical trials fielded in France of an adjuvanted candidate H5N1 pre-pandemic influenza vaccine (the one supplied to the Italian government) demonstrated a good immune response in a significant number of volunteers.