Organon receives EU grant to develop FluVac project

Nobilon International, part of Organon Laborotories, has received EU funds to co-ordinate the FluVac project which will see a consortium of experts develop a pandemic influenza vaccine for use as a potential emergency vaccination.

The European expert consortium will receive 3.5 million euros from the European Union in order to research and develop the new vaccine as part of a four year project.

FluVac has been partially informed by the recent epidemic of the H5N1 influenza in birds in Asia.

Bird flu has raised concerns about a potential influenza pandemic which would require an effective vaccine to be distributed at short notice.

Dr Luuk Hilgers, scientific coordinator for the project on behalf of Nobilon, underlined the importance of a vaccination and its availability in the eventuality of an influenza pandemic.

“In this project, we will exploit the potency of the adjuvant to potentiate immunity and to reduce the antigen dose required per vaccination.” he said.

The consortium will be made up of Nobilon International (NL), Protherics (UK), Retroscreen Virology (UK), Erasmus Medical Centre (NL) and Landspitali University Hospital (Iceland).

Earlier this week, Nobilon licensed its CoVaccine adjuvant for use in pandemic influenza vaccines and also seasonal influenza vaccines in the elderly.